Author Archives: Sarah Crofts

Malcolm Murdoch

Colin Delamore passed on news of the death of Malcolm Murdoch.

“I have the sad news that Malcolm passed away on 26th May from cancer.There was a private service yesterday (11th June) and I was invited to a reception tea later that afternoon with the family. Malcolm was a member of WMM as well as London Folk, and I danced with him in both of those capacities. He was a qualified pilot and I flew with him many time including trips abroad.He was an very enjoyable man to be with and as I found out a very highly qualified engineer having graduated from Imperial College University with a First Class Honours degree in Mechanical Engineering. However he chose a career in computers at which he excelled.He married Margaret and they lived near me in Milton Keynes for some years before moving to a retirement village in Lemington Spa.Please pass this news to those who new him.”

Thank you, Colin Delamore

Westminster Morris Dancers Day of Dance 11th May

Westminster DoD 2023, photo by Lewis Elliott

We will be welcoming our TWELVE guest teams to our 2024 Day of Dance. There will be a fantastic range of morris dance styles – Border, Cotswold, North West, Rapper, Step Clog.

Guests are:

Belles of London City
Camden Clog
Chelmsford Morris
Dacre Morris
Datchet Border Morris
Exeter Morris
London Pride Morris
Ravensbourne Morris Men
St Albans Morris
Thaxted Morris Men
Tower Ravens Rapper
Whitethorn Morris

This is where we will be:
10.00-12.00: St Margaret, St Margaret Street, SW1P 3JX, (next to Westminster Abbey) AND Victoria Tower Gardens, Abingdon Street/Millbank, SW1P 3JA,

13.00-14.00 and 15.00-16.00: Trafalgar Square,

14.00-15.00: Adelaide Street, WC2N4HZ.

And not forgetting the all important pub stops:

10.00-10.30: Greencoat Boy, 1 Greencoat Place, SW1P 1PJ,

11.00-12.00: Westminster Arms, 9&10, Storey’s Gate, SW1P 3AT,

13.00-15.00: Ship and Shovell, 1-3 Craven Passage, WC2N 5PH,

16.30-17.30: Round House, 1 Garrick Street, WC2E 9BF.

Programme 2024

Events

27th April Guests of Dacre Morris for Beating the Bounds, starting from the Dacre Arms, 11 Kingswood Place, Blackheath, London SE13 5BU,

11th May Westminster Morris Dancers Day of Dance, 

31st May to 2nd June Guests of Thaxted Morris Men at their Weekend of Dance.

In addition to these, you may see some or all of the team at the following events: 

8th June Letchworth Day of Dance

22nd June Brighton Morris Day of Dance

13th July Lyme Regis Folk Day

23 to 25th August Saddleworth Rush Cart

Wednesday Evening Tours

8th May Green Park practice plus pub after

15th May Fitzrovia

22nd May Clerkenwell 

5th June Primrose Hill

12th June Euston

19th June City of London

26th June Belgravia

3rd July Paddington/Tyburnia tour

10th July Pimlico

17th July Mystery location, somewhere in Westminster

24th July  Sloane Square

January practices 10th and 17th

Oh no, not again! Our first practice of 2024 should have been next Wednesday 10th January but we are having to cancel that because of the underground strike. We will be meeting on 17th January. New dancers always welcome. Here is a photo of Lewis and James with Letchworth at the Etcetera Morris New Year’s Day dance at the Wonder.

Programme 2023


Wednesday Evening Tours


24th May Clerkenwell
7th June Primrose Hill
14th June City of London
21st June Euston
28th June Belgravia
5th July Paddington/Tyburnia tour

12th July Pimlico
19th July Sloane Square

For full updates, find and follow us on:
Facebook: Westminster Morris Dancers

Twitter: @morrisdancers

Instagram: @westminster.morris

Mike Wilson-Jones

Westminster Morris Dancers are sad to report that Mike died on Saturday, 4th March. He was 78 and had been on purely palliative care for his various cancers for some months. He had a peaceful death in a very civilised nursing home.

He will be remembered for his many years at Westminster MM, more recently with Martlet MM and in the dim and distant with Winchester MM. In the wider folk world, he did a stint as Hon Treasurer of the EFDSS and in the 70s and 80s directed both London Folk and the Albert Hall festivals. He was also in the RSCDS London demonstration team. Quite a CV!

Mike was adamant that there should be no funeral or commemorative event. Those who knew him are asked to find an appropriate time to raise a glass in his memory.