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Carnival Program of '49
There is nothing quite like an old carnival program for
generating a bit of nostalgia and whole host of memories. Recently, Jock Harnett kindly supplied us with a sample that is
60 years old. Yes.... it's the program for the year of my birth.
In fact, the event took place on 3 August 1949... when I was just
4 days old. Blimey, "me and my ol' mum" were
probably still in St Heliers Nursing Home in Castle
Road!
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In 1949, graphics were few and far between
and the front page of the program was a pretty austere
affair.... but, what the hell... it only cost 3d (1.25
modern pence)!
Apart from a couple of official notes, the
booklet was made up of adverts. A blue supplement was
slipped inside at the last minute and this contained the
list of carnival entries.
We'll come to the supplement in a moment. First we'll
take a butchers at the notes. |
| The Carnival Committee was a substantial and
influential organisation. It had no fewer than 26
members.... including 4 councillors, a local police
inspector and a range of business people with
familiar names such as Elvy (Elvy printers), Fitt (Fitt
Motors) and Panther (Fitt Motors).
I've lost count of the number of times that I have
mentioned the role played in the local community by George
Fitt Motors. The document (left) even suggests that they
provided offices for the committee. |
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A similar comment could be applied to Elvy Bros printers
and, not surprisingly, the program was printed at their "Times
Building" in Cromwell Road. Why "Times
Building"? Well, in those days, they also
produced the "Whitstable Times" newspaper.
It wasn't just the committee and the local council that
backed the carnival. It was almost the entire shopping
centre.... from Canterbury Road to Tankerton. Take a
look at the list of prize donors on the left. It reads
like a fully comprehensive business index.
Just compare that to the situation in recent years when
a handful of hardy souls sit around a table trying to keep
the carnival afloat with little attention from our local
authority. |
In those days, we didn't have to rely on a massive
grant to commission a plastic community giant from Folkestone on
the pretext that it constituted art and a manufactured act
of community spirit. If we needed a giant, a local firm knocked
one up in Whitstable for nothing on the pretext that it was a
carnival entry and a real act of community spirit.
If it was made of toilet rolls and fell apart halfway around the
route, so what? It was all part of the fun... and, at the end of
the day, it was "ours".
| Of course, prizes were given for carnival entries in
each of 14 categories. The program listed these - see the
extract on the right. |
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However, in 1949, other
things were also rewarded. To use a modern
expression, it was a case of "joined up thinking" aimed at
creating a widespread festival atmosphere and encouraging
people to take notice of local shops. The same principle
was pursued with other carnival competitions in later
years. Recently, we included an article on the highly
popular "Spot the Odd Object"
contest of the late 1950s (Click
here to view).
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| Of course, some things never change and the carnival of
'49 ended with the Carnival Dance at 8.30 pm. However, the
location was a little unusual as it took place at All
Saints Hall... some considerable distance from the route
followed by the procession.
Later carnivals used more specialised venues at the
old Assembly Rooms (Horsebridge) or The Marine
Hotel (Marine Parade). |
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Mind you, carnivals didn't end on carnival day. The prizes were presented a week
later on Tankerton Slopes.... presumably in an open air
ceremony in the evening. I just hope that there wasn't a
good ol' North Easterly on 10 August 1949.
Well, don't ask me! I was still in St Heliers Nursing
Home.... Remember?!
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The
Supplement..
The blue program supplement listed the carnival
entries. I will pick out just a few notable entries and let you
spot people you know....
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I would suggest that Mr C Lee is none other than Chas
Lee who operated a well known Car Breakers Yard on Radfall
Hill. I believe his entries normally included a pony and
trap. |
| The Whitstable Wasps were the local Dirt Track cycle
racing team that held their meetings on the cinder area
behind the amusement arcades at Beach Walk/Tower Parade.
The Whitstable Model Laundry was a large employer of
local women and it operated in substantial premises in
Diamond Road. The site was later the HQ of Tankerton
Automatics but is now a residential development. |
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Over the years, many carnival entries have been based on
topical events or political issues. The British Red Cross
float was titled "Not nationalised". Remember
that this was the era of the post war Labour government
which established the Welfare State and took major
industries into public ownership. Stangely, "The
Whitstable Young Conservatives" entry was not
titled! Perhaps they had nothing to say. ;-)
Barry and Rosemary Dunn were neighbours of mine. What
were they doing in it... apart from being a Bisto Kid and
a Fairy!!!! |
Adverts
As I mentioned earlier, the program was
jampacked with adverts. I have devoted a searate page of the
Chat Column to these.
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