The Merrie England Children dance around the maypole on Hayes Common
It seems a long time ago that I first made my way to Hayes Common looking for the Merrie England and London May Queen Festival, and I find it surprising it was only 7 years ago in 2005. Then I was not at all sure what I would find – and whether I would be welcome to photograph the event, but this time there were many people present who greeted me, including parents and some of the girls taking part, some now considerably older and larger than when I first photographed them.
What I found in May 2005 fascinated me in various ways, and was the start of a couple of years work – spread out because the events only happen on a few Saturdays in April and May each year – which, had financial stringencies not intervened, would have resulted in a museum show.
The cancellation of the show also put an end to hopes of publication of a book, but earlier this year I produced a scaled-down version – available on Blurb both as a print version and a rather more sensibly priced e-book – because this year would see the crowning of the 100th London May Queen.
The 100th London May Queen is crowned
Despite a slight hiccough in my planning for the day (Mr Punch, crowds of Morris Dancers and a Nakba Day Protest in London held me up) I made it to Hayes Common for the event, arriving just as the London May Queen, followed by her retinue and the 20 or so other May Queen groups from around south-east London were about to begin the procession to the village church and around Hayes before the crowning.
The crown is carried on a cushion before the coronation ceremony
The Fairy Queen came accompanied by two fairies
And if you ever wondered what happens to the redundant bearer of the cushion on which the crown is carried after the crowning,
the answer is sometimes at least that she becomes a bear bearer, as this picture of West Wickham’s ‘Crown and Cushion’ and May Queen wearing her crown illustrates. Although I think of teddy bears as essentially male, this one is clearly dressed as a girl in the West Wickham shade of green and flower Lobelia matching that held by the May Queen – though I can’t vouch for botanical accuracy. But the bear is called May.
Later I was asked by one of the girls which of the realm colours was my favourite, and of course the only answer that I could give was the one she was wearing, described as ‘Persian Yellow’.
It certainly is a powerful golden yellow, and looked very fine with the long white dresses as the Chislehurst realm walked out to give their display of maypole dancing before the main and more free-form performance by the whole of the children around the larger maypole.
London Crowns 100th May Queen on My London Diary.
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My London Diary : Buildings of London : River Lea/Lee Valley : London’s Industrial Heritage
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