Kilts at Swanage Folk Festival

[Pleater]

Yesterday I went to the annual folk festival at the small town of Swanage in Dorset, England.

As in previous years I wore a kilt - not expecting to see anyone else in one.

I was quite astonished. First I saw someone in a black kilt - and upon asking found that it was just purchased and put on a few minutes earlier at a kilt selling tent on the green - there is always a sales area on that spot during the festival.

So, after congratulating the new kilt wearer on joining the rabble, and telling him about X marks, I went over to the tent and chatted with the seller.

I did not tell him that I'd spotted that the 8 yard kilt he showed me had one pleat sewn with too much flare. I don't know how he could have missed it - maybe he was just hoping that it would sell and the error not be noticed, or taken to be right.

The stall was selling DPM and black kilts, made from a mixture of man made materials, and despite the flaw I spotted, not too badly made, and very reasonable at well under 100 pounds.

I then went to look at the parade, and there were several kilted Morris dancers, and several more kilted onlookers.

The weather was very warm and humid so perhaps that encouraged those with kilts to put them on, and those contemplating a purchase must have had an extra impetus to do it there and then.

I really wished that I'd spent more time preening my kilt, but I'd forgotten that the festival was on, and the kilt was being reduced it size, so I hurridly sewed it together and left without it getting the usual pressing.

Athough some of the kilts were being worn as costume the 50/50 split between dancers and watchers does indicate that kilts are becoming more common.

[ccga3359]

Well done. Do you think that your proximity to Cornwall and area might have an effect?

I've noticed however that when left alone kilts tend to reduce by themselves. Quite significantly I might add.

[Freelander Sporrano]

Pictures ?

Swanage is a lovely area I have spent a lot of time there in the past

[BEEDEE]

I used to live in Lytchett Matravers (1976 - 1980). Don't recall the Swanage Folk Festival then - is it new? Would love to see pictures.

Brian

[cessna152towser]

Its great to hear kilts are being seen around Swanage. I've not been there in years - have some old cine film of a day visit there with my parents during the 1970's via a bus trip from Bournemouth, when the bus went onto a ferry across the mouth of Poole harbour. The steam railway hadn't yet started running at the time but I got some static photos of it.

[McClef]

Swanage is situated on the lovely Isle of Purbeck. Nice to hear of kilts reaching Dorset - I wonder what Thomas Hardy would have thought?

[Pleater]

Sorry, I never thought to take a camera - I had to get my morris kit together, with drum and sticks, my song books, and my set of recorders - that is wind instruments, not sound recorders.

Swanage is a lovely place - the harbour, its protecting cliffs, the small pleasure craft on the moorings, and the people enjoying the warmth of the water, as it is a sun trap, all combine to make one think of somewhere further South, at least when the sun is shining.

The bus to Swanage still goes across on the ferry, the folk festival is a fairly recent arrival, but I don't think that the Cornish black kilt is really impinging on the local consciousness. Cornwall is still regarded as a place apart, to some extent. Even with the improved road travel is is somehow still an Attic province. The locals would certainly not consider themselves associated with the Cornish folk.

The people wearing the black kilts would, I suspect, have been wearing black trousers as everyday garments, so the kilt material would be close to what they normally wore.

Whilst I was at the kilt selling tent people were showing great interest in the kilts, the black ones in particular, and commenting on them, their weight - and when the man was serving elsewhere, him - I assumed that the kilt was his only garment - and envying him the freedom of the sun and air.

At the time, mid afternoon, there was not a cloud in the sky and just a breath of wind, enough to keep the kite sellers demonstration models in the air - there was a good one of a 'Red Barron' Fokker triplane.

The kilt seller had obviously been working on his tan for a good long time.

[GMan]

Love it!!

[Martin S]

Tell us more about the kilted morris dancers.
What prompted them (you?) to get out of the usual knee breeches?
Have the kilts become the standard uniform?
Do they still wave hankies, and wooden swords, or have they taken to claymores instead?
I've joined morris dancers once or twice, but don't often get the chance here in France, of course. Great fun!
Even taught some French kids a stick-waving dance one year; they loved it.
Martin

[Pleater]

Now there are three general forms of morris dancing - the Cotswold, which is the 'cricket whites' costume, the North Western, which is the rugby football kit with the knee britches and clogs, and then there is Border morris - with the tatter coats and blacked faces or masks.

The Border Morris - which is what I take the drum along for, tends to have the musicians in black - some of the men wear tail coats, waistcoats and long trousers with dress shoes. Some of the lady musicians wear evening gowns, others wear slightly excentric outfits, which is, I supose where I fit. I wear a black bowler with red roses, a red top, black waistcoat and kilt. In the evenings I wear black stockings and red shoes, but the weekend was far too hot for that. Most of the dancers were wearing shorts with their tatter coats, and with some of the coats being long and the shorts short.........

Border morris is done with sticks - at least for the dances my side do.

They have short sticks or long sticks depending on the dance - and when they get a bit energetic there are bits of wood flying with every clash.

So far there have been a couple of visitors in MUGs turn up to dance with us - anyone can join in if they feel brave and don't mind how many fingers they're left with at the end.

I think the trend towards kilts is due to the heat - we are getting more long hot dry spells these days and dancers have to be careful to drink water and even isotonic drinks - even the young fit lads are finding that they are having to alter their costumes to cope with the increased temperatures.

Kilts are creeping in as 'oddities' which are in fact the norm in folk circles, - there was no side in kilts, but musicians seemed to have taken to them as it is perfectly in order to sway to the music and so provide a cooling airflow. I have been thinking that I should make a daytime kilt of white, some thing floral perhaps, as the black absorbs the heat so well.

The side is called Herbaceous Border, and we are the Hosepipe Banned, led by Sergeant Sprinkler it is great fun to get together with them whenever possible.