AP WMS 4(1) s1 f01 v1 e1
Roy Clay from Atherton talks to John Reid about watching the Atherton Carnival during the 1920s and 1930s. Recorded on 14 August, 1981.
Audio description below:
Yes you used to get them all fancy costumes you know, the pierrot type, tall hats, jingle bobs round their necks and sleeves, bells on, you'd get all this.
WHAT SIZE WOULD THIS BE?
Oh massive, it used to take an hour and a half to two hours to pass a given point. The local coal merchants, the hauliers, business men that had horse and carts, early wagons, they'd been decorated, the horses with the brasses shining, they used to glisten, you could see them a good distance away. There'd be prizes given for the best turned out horse and cart, the best turned out wagon.
WHAT SORT OF PRIZES WOULD THESE BE?
Oh sometimes they'd be money prizes, other times they'd be gifts donated by all the shop keepers.
DID YOU EVER PARTAKE IN THIS YOURSELF?
Well I tried to do one time but I was very young then, as I got older I used to be content with standing there watching them, and they used to come on the back field here.
WHAT'S THE NAME OF THE FIELD PLEASE?
That was Alder House, which is a football field and they used to come on the top end near the Formby Hall, big double gates, they used to march on there and then they used to kind of get into sections, Morris dancers at one end of the field and playing games in another part of the field, the local schoolchildren take part in sports.
WHAT SORT OF SPORTS?
Oh everything that goes today, running, jumping, sack racing, egg and spoon.
Audio Details
| Forename | Roy |
|---|---|
| Surname | Clay |
| Middle Name | |
| Township | Atherton |
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