Sweeps Parade Rochester 2005

The annual Sweeps Festival brings an extravaganza of Colour, music and atmosphere, attracting thousands of visitors from across the region to Rochester. 

The festival owes its roots to age old traditions.  Sweeping chimneys was a necessary but dirty trade nearly 300 years ago. 

 It was hard work for the sweeps and even harder work for the chimney boys who had to climb up the  inside of the chimneys and clean them by hand.

The Sweeps annual holiday on May 1st represented a much welcomed break and they celebrated it with a procession through the streets accompanied by the Jack-in-the-Green.  This is a seven  foot character who is traditionally woken at dawn on May Day from his slumber on Bluebell Hill and who then travels to Rochester to start the festivities.

In 1868 the Climbing Boys Act was passed making it illegal to employ young boys to clean inside chimneys, the tradition then gradually died out. 

This caused the  celebration of the Sweeps annual holiday in Rochester to stop in the early 1900’s.

It was revived in the 1980’s by historian, Gordon Newton, who, as well as being the Festival Director, plays melodeon for several Morris dancing teams. 

His Morris team, the Motley Morris, are the custodians of the Jack-in-the-Green.  Gordon researched the sweeps’ tradition and in 1981 organised a small parade, which featured a group of Morris dancers. The Festival gradually grew in popularity and attracts many thousands of people who are keen to either dress up and take part in the Sweeps Parade or to simply stand and watch the parade and enjoy atmosphere.

Morris Dance teams from all over the UK perform a variety of styles of dance while bands and musical groups perform at various venues, playing music from folk to guitar to traditional singing styles.

A lot of this takes part in the main high street, as well as there being a fair and other attractions in the castle grounds

The Beavers from Sheppey District regularly take part in the parade, as you can see from the photos below they have a fun day with lots of new sights and experiences, some scouts find it hard to keep up with the beavers never ending energy!!

			The adventure begins on the train at Sheerness. They are all excited and full of energy
			All Change and wait for the next train. Some seemed to be thinking of what mischief they can get up to!!
			Some of the Morris dancers were very colourful
			Some groups were no quite so colourful
			But all were friendly, one even put his hat on one of our group for a photo
			Beavers are quite placid, so long as you keep them fed and watered. FAIL TO DO THIS AT YOUR PERIL
			Flag bearer posing for photo
			Our Beavers Ready to go
			Town Crier announcing the mayor of Rochester
			Jack-in-the-Green.   This is the seven  foot character who is traditionally woken at dawn on May Day from his slumber on Bluebell Hill and who then travels to Rochester to start the festivities.
			a couple of the FEZHEADS. for people supposedly used to hot climates, they stopped at a lot of the pubs on the route to have a drink (even the camel)
			A brief pause in the parade
			The ladies from the Bishop's Gandalf's Morris who were behind us in the parade
			look what the Beavers did to one of the scouts BEAVERS 1 SCOUTS 0

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Last modified: 20/01/06