SD9905 : Saddleworth Rushcart Festival

near to Uppermill, Oldham, Great Britain

Saddleworth Rushcart Festival
Saddleworth Rushcart Festival
Morris men pull the rushcart along the High Street in Uppermill.
Saddleworth Morris Men LinkExternal link revived the Rushcart as an annual festival in 1975 to become the first of many in the area.
The rushes are taken from the surrounding moors (with the blessing of the National Trust) and built onto a two-wheeled cart in a slightly conical shape thirteen feet high weighing about two tons (if it doesn't rain). 'Feathers' at each corner are formed from bolts or bundles of rushes each about four inches in diameter held in place by metal rods. The bulk of the cart is built from loose rushes; they are not tied on. When completed, the whole structure is trimmed to give a smooth appearance on each side.
Two Rowan branches are fixed to the top and, on Saturday morning, the front is dressed with a decorated banner.
A man chosen from the ranks of Saddleworth Morris Men sits astride the Rushcart for the day, supplied with ale in a copper kettle.
The Rushcart is then pulled through the villages of Saddleworth by morris men invited from all over Britain and, sometimes, from overseas. 150 men pull on the "stangs" fixed to strong rope which, in turn, is fixed to the cart.
SD9906 : The Saddleworth Rushcart 2008
SD9905 : Commercial Hotel. Uppermill
SD9906 : Dobcross Square
SD9905 : The Saddleworth Morris Men
SD9906 : Rushcart arrives in Dobcross
Creative Commons Licence [Some Rights Reserved]   © Copyright Paul Anderson and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.
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SD9905, 38 images   (more nearby - lo-fi)
Photographer
Paul Anderson   (find more nearby)
Image classification
Geograph
Date Taken
Saturday, 23 August, 2008   (more nearby)
Submitted
Saturday, 23 August, 2008
Category
Village street   (more nearby)
Subject Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SD 997 059 [100m precision]
WGS84: 53:32.9840N 2:0.3237W
Photographer Location
OSGB36: geotagged! SD 997 059
View Direction
SOUTH (about 180 degrees)
Clickable map
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