URGENT UPDATE:
The open practice planned for this evening has had to be postponed to 21st September.
The hall has become unavailable to use due to activities around the demise of Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II.
If you had previously been kind enough to share our publicity around the event, please share this update as well. Thank you
We had a wonderful weekend, 15th to 17th July, with Letchworth Morris, https://www.letchworthmorris.org.uk, on their weekend of dance celebrating their centenary. This is us dancing in Hitchin.
Come and see Westminster Morris and guests at our Day of Dance.
Tour 1:
Camden Clog, Thaxted/Cambridge, New Esperance, Westminster
10.10 St. Margarets, St Margaret St, London SW1P 3JX
10.50 Westminster Arms, 9 & 10 Storey’s Gate, London SW1P 3AT
11.30 Victoria Tower Gardens, Millbank, London SW1P 3JA
Tour 2:
St Albans, Madder Mill Molly, Ravensbourne
10.10 Victoria Tower Gardens, Millbank, London SW1P 3JA
10.50 St. Margarets, St Margaret St, London SW1P 3JX
11.30 Westminster Arms, 9 & 10 Storey’s Gate, London SW1P 3AT
All: Trafalgar Square 12.30 – 13.30
Afternoon tours (* denotes a site near a pub):
Tour 1
Camden Clog, St Albans, New Esperance, Ravensbourne
14.30 Ship and Shovell,1-3 Craven Passage, London WC2N 5PH*
15.15 Adelaide Street, London WC2N 4HZ *
16.00 Duke of York Steps, Waterloo Place, St. James’s, London SW1Y 5AJ
Tour 2
Madder Mill Molly, Thaxted/Cambridge, Westminster
14.30 Duke of York Steps, Waterloo Place, St. James’s, London SW1Y 5AJ
15.15 Ship and Shovell,1-3 Craven Passage, London WC2N 5PH*
16.00 Adelaide Street, LondonWC2N 4HZ *
All:
17.00-18.00 Glassblower, 40-42 Glasshouse St, London W1B 5JY
September 22nd 2021 will see Wesminster Morris commence practices in our new venue. It’s a short stagger from a nice Fullers pub and from Paddington station.
Here’s what Richard (our baggy bagman) has to say about it…
Our new practice venue will be in the church hall at St Johns Church, 18 Hyde Park Crescent, Tyburnia, London W2 2QD, starting on September 22nd, 8.00pm to 10.00pm. The hall is on the left-hand side of the church, at the back.
A Fuller’s pub is nearby, the Victoria on the corner of Sussex Place and Strathearn Place, I suggest that early arrivals could meet there.
There are several options for getting there:
Central line: Lancaster Gate and Marble Arch are the same distance from the church, but Lancaster Gate is closer to the Victoria, about 300m along Stanhope Terrace.
From Victoria it’s probably quickest to get the Circle/District line to Paddington. Take the exit signposted to Praed Street, turn right along Praed Street, and right along London Street. Ignore the Sussex Arms, it doesn’t have any cask beer. Continue along London Street/Sussex Place and see the Victoria straight ahead, or turn left along Gloucester Square to the church. It’s about 400m from Paddington station to the Victoria, 300m from there to the church.
If you’re coming along the Circle/Hammersmith & City line from King’s Cross, either walk from Edgware Road station (700m to the church) or change to the Circle/District line to Paddington. This is because the Hammersmith & City platform at Paddington is much further North and you have to walk miles around the building site to get to Praed Street (guess how I know that!).
From Victoria station to Napier Hall was about 950m, so most of us have less far to walk
If you are interested in learning to dance Cotswold Morris in the distinctive Westminster style, taking exercise, having fun and a drink or two afterwards, come along to the Taster Session on 3rd November and give it a try, or any Wednesday evening this Autumn.
We are a friendly, all-inclusive, mixed team with a passion for keeping a great English tradition alive and everyone is welcome. No previous experience is required.
When and where:-
St. John’s Church Hall, 18 Hyde Park Crescent W2 2QD
8:00 to 10:00 pm each Wednesday.
Nearest stations Paddington, Edgware Road and Lancaster Gate.
Questions?
email our Bagman, Richard on newbagman@westminstermorris.org
Call our Squire, Roger on 07312111850
See our website westminstermorris.org or
https://www.facebook.com/morrisdancers/
Westminster Morris have been holding our Day of Dance celebration in May for over 60 years now, and then bloody Covid came along and buggered it all up. We spent 2020 and a good part of 2021 on zoom meetings, trying to dance to music which was even more behind the beat than usual. It was not fun. Finally, we’re allowed to venture out and this is what we’ll be up to.
All times quoted are BMT (British Morris Time = BST plus or minus an unspecified amount of time depending on unspecified things such as, pubs)
Here’s the list of where we’ll be from our lovely Squire, who is being even more vague than usual.
Come on down – we’d love to see you…. if you can find us!
Long time musician to Westminster Morris, Dr Denis Smith died in November 2017. His funeral in December was well attended but, being in Scotland, there were many more who were unable to make the trip.
Lynda has arranged a memorial service to be held in the church at Thaxted on 9th June 2018 at 2:30 and all are welcome. Please see the notice attached here and let Lynda know if you are going to attend. It will help with the catering arrangements.
On our recent evening out on & around the South Bank with our West Londony chums The World Famous Hammersmith Morris Men we were lucky enough to find ourselves in front of the lens of Sandra Fontano, who took a few action snaps for a street photography blogpost.
(This article is also available in PDF form – click to download)
Here is the day’s dancing programme for this year’s Westminster Day of Dance – which takes place this year on Saturday May the 10th. London will come alive with the traditional English dance: this year demonstrating the rhythmic clog dancing of the North West, the East Anglian form known as Molly Dancing, and of course the traditional Cotswold Morris.
We’ve got a couple of interesting new spots, as well as some of our old favourites. And once again we’re delighted to be joined by some of our friends from around the UK, and this time even further afield!
| Time | Tour 1 | Tour 2 | Tour 3 | Tour 4 | Tour 5 |
| 10:15 – 10:40 | Victoria Embankment Steps | St Margaret’s, Westminster | Westminster Cathedral | Tate Britain | Victoria Tower Gardens |
| 11:00 – 11:30 | Adelaide St / St Martin In The Field Church Path | Victoria Embankment Steps | St. Margaret’s, Westminster Abbey | Lambeth Palace Forecourt | Westminster Arms, Storey’s Gate |
| 12:00 – 12:30 | Leicester Square | Westminster Arms, Storey’s Gate | Admiralty Arch | Victoria Embankment Steps | St James’s Park Bandstand |
| Sides | Datchet Jockey Aldbury |
Chester Thaxted Ravensbourne |
Icknield Way Westminster Seven Champions |
Moulton Westminster 2 Utrecht |
Martlets Exeter St Albans |
| LUNCH BREAK | |||||
| Tour 6 | Tour 7 | Tour 8 | Tour 9 | ||
| 14:00 – 14:30 | Duke of York’s Steps | Glasshouse Street | St Martin’s Lane / St Mary’s Court | Leicester Square | |
| 15:00 – 15:30 | Glasshouse Street | Gerrard St / Macclesfield St Chinatown | Duke Of York Steps | Adelaide St/ St Martin In The Field Church Path | |
| Sides | Ravensbourne Utrecht Datchet Exeter |
Westminster 2 Ickneild Way Chester Aldbury |
Thaxted Westminster Jockey St Albans |
Moulton Martlets Seven Champions |
|
| TEA BREAK | |||||
| 16:30 – 18:00 | Massed Show – Victoria Embankment Gardens | ||||
Come on down – we’d love to see you!
