Walking on Water at Peterborough

Merely walking on water wasn't enough for Squire of the Ring, Gerald Willey, when he attended Peterborough Morris' Day of Dance on the last Saturday in September. Dancing on water was much more impressive - and appreciated also by his hosts and their guests.

The day began slightly damply at Peterborough Town Hall. But with the promise of better weather to come, Kings Men, Coton Morris Men and Haganeth joined with Peterborough and the Squire of the Ring, to perform dances from Bampton, Adderbury, Hinton in the Hedges and Bleddington. The party soon moved on to Cathedral Square to dance in front of the Guildhall, where a continually changing audience is almost guaranteed. Encouraged by some energetic collecting and the promise that they would be rewarded with sunshine, people gave generously to the trug and took away souvenir programmes of the day.

Next on the programme was a trip up-river on the 'Key Ferry'. Ploughing a tourist trade from a mooring near the Key Theatre, the Key Ferry is narrow enough to navigate the Nene as far as Wellingborough, but not so narrow that 50 Morris Men and friends can't find seats and somehere to rest a pint of beer. The very keen played tunes and sang, whilst everyone took good advantage of the Woodford's Wherry and the Spitfire specially provided. Alan, the retiring Peterborough Bagman, was presented with a suitable volumetric token of appreciation, which was immediately put to use.

Notwithstanding a brief detour from the river, along a cut to the rowing course, progress was steady, with entry straight into the lock close to one of the stations of the Nene Valley Railway, where passengers were boarding one of the steam trains. Continuing upstream, past heron and kingfisher, we eventually turned off the river again and entered the wide lake of the Nene Country Park. Here was lunch, but little audience, until we moved the tables in the cafeteria for some impromptu post-lunch dancing, including a jig, Nutting Girl, Fieldtown, by the Peterborough Squire. By the time all were on board again the sun was shining, so no money back to those members of the public who might have thought they were being conned with an unrealistic weather promise earlier in the day!

Next stop, the lock, and below it a floating landing stage for boats pausing before or after passage up or down. Here river trip virgins were introduced to the pleasures of dancing on the mooring platform. Just five feet wide and free to move vertically and to rock, it lends itself to a close, if unsteady, dancing formation and has an uncanny appeal to morris men who've enjoyed a few wherries on the ferry. Amid calls for a 'tight set', Jockey to the Fair was rejected in favour of a dance of more restricted form. Squire of the Ring, Gerald, was a notable participant on the pontoon although it was difficult to get a photograph of him looking anything other than serious. I am sure the experience gave a whole new meaning to the name 'Riverdance'.

By this time the boat was clear of the lock and it made a fleeting visit to pick up the dancers at the landing stage. There were no wet feet, nor anything worse, in fact nothing to laugh at, at all. A few more wherries and the whole party was safely delivered to the city centre.

The final gig at the Guildhall was in warm, bright sunshine and included the 'Old Biddy' from Bidford (Old Woman Toss'd up). This was with the participation of and in honour of the Squire of the Ring, whose own side, Shakespeare MM, have researched and revived the tradition, generously teaching it to other sides, of which Peterborough has been one. Gerald managed to keep up with a pace that was unusually fast even for Peterborough, thereby earning his tea and stickies, served shortly after in the upstairs of the Guildhall. Provisioned by the ladies (and some men) of the side, home made sausage rolls, scones, jam and cream, fruit cake and chocolate cake went down a treat and completed a very enjoyable day.