Morris Dancers in Stratford

Morris Dancers in Stratford - jingling bells, colourful costumes and lots of  energy.

Ribbons on their clothes, flowers around their hats and bells on their legs, – this was the mass of Morris dancers who descended on Stratford on Avon this Saturday.

Everywhere was the sound of jingling bells, accordions playing their merry tunes and sticks clacking together; on street corners, beer gardens and outside the Shakespeare Theatre, troops of Morris dancers from all of the country were performing with such enthusiasm it was a real treat to watch.


This was by far the most impressive Morris dancing I have ever witnessed as no sooner had I seen one troop perform with gusto than another would take their place, each group different in their colourful costumes and style dancing to such music as the Stick Song.
Milling among the crowds of visitors, the dancers made their way through the streets of the town in their distinguishing garb, accompanied by the unmistakable sound of jingles, a beat of the drum and the sound of clogs on the pavement everywhere you went.

It is a shame that they are not invited to the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games - but perhaps Morris dancers don't really fit in with their English village theme.

Joint Morris Organisations Day of Dance, Stratford on Avon, 30^th June 2012

And riverside fun ...

At the same time as the Morris dancers performing in the town, the Stratford’s River Festival was taking place on the opposite bank.  Stalls of all types were assembled along the river bank and around the bandstand. The river was filled with boats of all sizes, including some carefully crafted model boats and dozens of colourful narrow boats adorned with fluttering bunting.

This is a two day event so I hope the weather stays good for the Sunday and the planned fireworks on the river tonight.

What a great way to spend the day in Shakespeare's Stratford :-) 

Explore the Abbey ruins, Kenilworth

Explore the Abbey ruins, Kenilworth

Good fun can be had searching for the ruins of the 12^th century St Mary’s Abbey, in the Abbey Fields, Kenilworth, close to St Nicholas’ Church; a sort of archaeological hide and seek.

Plaques have been placed around the ruins indicating whereabouts in the abbey you are standing and what that part of the ruin would have been used for, such as the storerooms, the cloisters or the chancel.  The plaques also show which parts of the ruins are visible above ground and gives those gifted with good imagination an impression of what the abbey would have looked like.   

 At the entrances to the fields and outside the barn, which is still standing and houses a small museum, are informative boards including a drawing of the Abbey as it may have looked.  Some parts of the ruins are easy to work out, such as the barn and the gatehouse, while others are only patterns of remaining walls or steps but they are still interesting to discover. You can find the plaques on the ruin walls and set into the grass but they take some finding as they are scattered across the whole site.  The plan indicates all of the parts of the abbey, from which you can calculate how many plaques there are approximately where they will be. Once you have found a couple you can work out the clues to the next , and to make it more of a challenge, there is a mistake if you can spot it - but I will leave that for you to discover for yourselves.

 The barn museum opens on Sunday afternoons during the summer months and is staffed by local volunteers, who can provide more information about the Abbey of St Mary.

Thanks to the Kenilworth History and Archaeology Society for their work

Supercar Sunday

Held during the Kenilworth Festival in May. A great free event held at Abbey End, by the Clock Tower, Kenilworth, with an amazing variety of interesting cars on view and, for a very reasonable donation to Macmillan’s Cancer Support, the chance to ride in your favourite, whether a 1926 yellow Rolls Royce, a Bullnose Morris or even a Model T Ford; or for those looking for something more recent there was a James Bond Jaguar, complete with rear mounted machine gun, Dodge Viper or a new McLaren MP4-12C,  to name but a few.

I chose a spin in a 1947 Bentley Roadster which roared away down the town, and out onto the A46 towards Warwick, passing others having trips in their chosen vehicles, accompanied by waves and blasts of horns. I began to realise why a pair of goggles they offered me would have been useful as there was little protection from the elements as we flew along at 50mph. I’ve always wanted a drive in a car like this; traditional racing green with the gears on the outside and a step to climb in – no doors and a token windscreen but surprisingly comfortable seats. Bit of an effort climbing back out at the end after we had travelled back via Leek Wootton. A great ‘adventure’ that leaves me to wonder, which car should I choose the next time?

1940's Tea room in Stratford

1940's Tea room in Stratford

Great find a couple of weeks ago, down Union Street in Stratford, not far from the main road and Shakespeare's birthplace. A 1940's themed tea room with ration book covers to the menus, decoration and staff dressed appropriate to wartime Britain (including their hair tied up in headscarves) and a large china pot of real tea that comes with its own sand-timer to tell you when the tea is ready and you can take out the large infuser.  Scones, jam and cream went down well and the staff were friendly, despite all eight of us turning up just as they were closing. 


This is worth a visit, especially if you have friends visiting the town, or you just fancy something different from the Bard. I will definitely be going back, if only to have another pot of their very pleasant blend of 'real' tea.

Fourteas Tearoom, Union Street, Stratford on Avon