Issue 128 – February 2017
DON’T MISS – THIS MONTH
DRESSING THE PART By Stephen Guy, West Derby Society
MANY old customs have their origins going back over centuries and often feature strange costumes and disguises. West Derby Wakes were once a popular feature of the area when it was still largely rural. A wake is an annual holiday and until comparatively recent times all the factories and businesses in some towns closed at the same time. In West Derby, the festival originally had close religious links before its character changed in the 18th century. The celebrations once centred on the anniversary of ancient St Mary’s Chapel which stood in the centre of the Village. The pulpit and altar were decorated with leaves and flowers while rushes were spread on the floor. Attractions included games and athletics while refreshment tents sold cakes and ale. Members of the farming community and their families came from far and wide. Other amusements could have featured people dressed as mythical figures associated with the countryside, such as the Green Man. The Green Man’s face can sometimes be seen carved on ancient timbers including furniture. With close links to the pagan past, his facial features seem to emerge from foliage. There might be clog dancing carried out by groups of garlanded men wielding decorated sticks. The religious element of the Wakes gradually disappeared and they started to attract rough elements from the growing port of Liverpool. The authorities stepped in and the Wakes were scrapped in the early 19th century. They were replaced by the more sedate Club Day on the last Monday in July.
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WHAT’S ON Members of the West Derby Tradesmen’s Benevolent Club held a walk, sometimes 300 strong, through the Village. Sports were held on the site of West Derby Castle in Meadow Lane, still an open space today. Following the break-up of the Tradesmen’s Club in Victorian times, the Oddfellows – another charitable organisation – took over for a while. In Edwardian times, long after the end of the Wakes, a group of St Mary’s School pupils dressed as a troupe of pierrots (pictured). Pierrots were popular attractions at seaside reviews and other shows before the First World War. The clowns with their white costumes and pointed hats had origins in French pantomimes where they are still popular. Entertainers use mime where words are replaced by gesture and movement. n Join the West Derby Society at its next meeting 7.30 pm on Wednesday 15 February at Lowlands, 13 Haymans Green, Liverpool L12 7JG.
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