Pageant of Northumberland History
Other names
- Alnwick Pageant
Pageant type
Notes
<p>The pageant was organised by the Berwick-Upon-Tweed division of the Conservative and Unionist Association.</p>
Performances
Place: Abbey Grounds (Alnwick) (Alnwick, Northumberland, England)
Year: 1927
Indoors/outdoors: Outdoors
Number of performances: 2
Notes
6 July 1927
The grounds opened at 2pm on Wednesday 6 July; the first performance commenced at 2.30pm, the second at 6.30pm.
The Abbey ruins and its grounds then belonged to the Duke of Northumberland.Name of pageant master and other named staff
- Pageant Master: Todd, A.J.K.
Names of executive committee or equivalent
Notes
Details of committee members have not been recovered; it may be assumed that the committee was made up of members of the local Conservative Party.
Names of script-writer(s) and other credited author(s)
Names of composers
n/a
Numbers of performers
300300 adults and children took part in the pageant.
Financial information
Object of any funds raised
It is likely that the event raised money for the activities of the local Conservative and Unionist Association.
Linked occasion
n/a
Audience information
- Grandstand: Not Known
- Grandstand capacity: n/a
- Total audience: n/a
Prices of admission and seats: highest–lowest
2s. 6d.–6d.
There was an entrance charge to the grounds of 1s (children half-price). Seats for the pageant were a separate charge and cost 2s. 6d (for reserved seats) and 1s (unreserved) for the first performance of the pageant in the afternoon, and 1s (reserved) and 6d (unreserved) at the evening performance. Only the highest price tickets (at 2s. 6d) were subject to entertainments tax.4
Associated events
- A fete accompanied the pageant; this included sideshows and a
refreshment tent.
- In addition to the pageant itself, there was also an
'Empire Procession' at its conclusion. General Sir Henry Page Croft,
Bart., CMG, MP and Mrs Hilton Philipson, MP gave speeches at 5.30 pm.
The chair of the speech ceremony was G. G. Rea, Esq., CBE.
- From 7.45pm there was dancing and community singing. 5
Pageant outline
Key historical figures mentioned
n/a
Musical production
There was an orchestra and a male voice choir.6
Newspaper coverage of pageant
Berwick AdvertiserYorkshire Post
Book of words
n/a
It is unlikely that a book of words was produced. No pageant associated literature has been recovered.
Other primary published materials
n/a
References in secondary literature
n/a
None noted.
Archival holdings connected to pageant
- The Northumberland Archives in Ashington has photographs of this event and two others held at Alnwick at the following shelfmarks: CES 10/8/1; CES 10/8/1 and MOR/MU/215/129.
Sources used in preparation of pageant
n/a
Summary
Historical pageants seem to have been quite popular among the grass-roots of the Conservative party in the interwar period. This pageant is one such example, having been organized by Berwick-on-Tweed division of the Conservative and Unionist Association. Very likely the pageant proceeds were donated to party coffers. Unfortunately, literature identifying the content of this pageant has not been recovered. It was succeeded by another pageant held in 1928 in Alnwick, which once again was organised by the local Conservative Party.
Footnotes
How to cite this entry
Angela Bartie, Linda Fleming, Mark Freeman, Tom Hulme, Alex Hutton, Paul Readman, ‘Pageant of Northumberland History’, The Redress of the Past, http://www.historicalpageants.ac.uk/pageants/1255/