Pageant of Northumberland History
Other names
- Alnwick Pageant
Pageant type
Notes
The pageant was organised by the Berwick-Upon-Tweed division of the Conservative and Unionist Association.
Performances
Place: Alnwick Castle (Alnwick) (Alnwick, Northumberland, England)
Year: 1928
Indoors/outdoors: Outdoors
Number of performances: 1
Notes
6 September 1928
- Alnwick Castle is the ancestral home of the Dukes of Northumberland (the Percy family).
- The pageant was held in the afternoon of the first day of a 2-day long fete.
Name of pageant master and other named staff
- Pageant Master: Todd, A.J.K.
Notes
Captain A.J.K. Todd was pageant master as he had been for the pageants held in Alnwick in 1925 and 1927.1 Todd was the Conservative Party agent in Alnwick.2
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
Financial information
The pageant and fete made a profit of £1700.5
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
A fete accompanied the pageant; this included sideshows and a refreshment tent and it took place over two days. The pageant was the major attraction on the first day, and a concert was held on the second day of the fete.6
Associated events
n/a
Pageant outline
Key historical figures mentioned
n/a
Musical production
A male voice choir performed.7 An orchestra performed at the pageant held in 1927; although mention of this is made in available press coverage in 1928, this is likely to have again been the case.
Newspaper coverage of pageant
Aberdeen Press and Journal
The Manchester Guardian
Berwick Advertiser
Yorkshire 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 held at Alnwick in unspecified years 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
This pageant was staged as part of a two day-long fete held in the grounds of the ruined Alnwick Abbey. Similar events had been held in 1925 and 1927 near the ruins of Alnwick Abbey as a fundraiser for the local Conservative Party. It appears to have been a success and so was staged again in 1928: this time at Alnwick Castle. The Duchess of Northumberland opened the fete and the pageant took place on the fete's first day.8 It is possible that the pageant held in 1928 was larger than that of 1927; however, it was only held once, whereas in 1927 there had been a repeat performance on the same day. In 1928, the entire pageant was relayed live on BBC radio, so it is likely that music was a large part of the show.9 Programmes for the Alnwick pageants have not been recovered; therefore, we do not have details of their content.
Footnotes
- ^ Untitled note, Berwick Advertiser, 21 July 1927, 3.
- ^ Advertisement, Berwick Advertiser, 23 June 1927, 2.
- ^ 'Mrs Hilton Philipson Not to Leave Parliament for the Stage', Yorkshire Post, 7 July 1927, 12.
- ^ 'Conservative Fete at Alnwick', Yorkshire Post, 6 September 1928, 6.
- ^ Aberdeen Press and Journal, 8 September 1928, 3.
- ^ 'Conservative Fete at Alnwick', Yorkshire Post, 6 September 1928, 6.
- ^ Ibid.
- ^ 'Conservative Fete at Alnwick', Yorkshire Post, 6 September 1928, 6.
- ^ 'Wireless Notes and Programmes', Manchester Guardian, 6 September 1928, 10.
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/1256/