Carnival
Programmes
Ian Johnson has very kindly provided copies
of the 1956 and 1959 Carnival Programss from his collection of
memorabilia. It enables us to study how the event was organised
and how it reflected the era in which it was staged. We have also
been able to link the content to a range of photos kindly
contributed by some of our other Simply Whitstable readers. So
'ere we go....
Starting at the
Front!...
Back in '56 the
cover page took on a very formal look...
We can also spot some typical "fifties" wording. The public wasn't encouraged to
"help by dropping lots of dosh into pots".
Oh... no... no.... no. It was asked to "show
appreciation..... by subscribing liberally to the
boxes".
Some people might think that Whitstable is a whole
lot posher and richer today and, in most ways, it probably is...
until you consider language! Are we really the country that
produced Shakespeare and Dickens? The 1956 programme suggests that
we were!
Despite being the 60th carnival programme, it was
an austere publication. However, in 1957, Harold Macmillan
announced that we had 'never had it so good' and, by '59, we could
afford graphics..... of camp pumpkins with large cigarette holders
and arms that still don't look right even 50 years on...
Supermac was also single-handedly holding back
inflation... by freezing the price of our carnival programmme at
6d (2½p) for a whole four years. And, we never thought to thank
him
Carnival
Committee & Officials
Inside the front cover, the 1956 program lists the carnival officials....
Just look at how many local people were involved.
In those days, the committee included a local police inspector
along with many local business people. Judges assessed the
carnival entries and the adjudicators came from
the length and breadth of East Kent to ensure fair play.
With so many people involved, a means of
identification was necessary and I just love the method that was
used.....
So much easier than a name plate with the word
"President" etched upon it... don't you think?! Well,
have you memorised the colours? There's a test at the end.
The 1957 carnival took place on the 21st
August.... but why is that significant? Well, if you check your
ancient calendars, you'll find that it's a Wednesday.... and that
highlights quite a change from the current day event which is
always scheduled for a Saturday. Wednesday was "early closing
day" in Whitstable and this allowed traders time to prepare
their carnival floats.
Carnival Route
The programme detailed the carnival route and it
was a very different journey from today.....
The text description sounds straightforward.
However, if you were around town in those days, you will know that
it wasn't ! Let's plot the whole thing on a map.....
The floats congregated in Cromwell Road (facing
the harbour) before heading off along Woodlawn Street, Harbour
Street, High Street, Oxford Street and Canterbury Road. At the
foot of Borstal Hill, the procession circled the Tollgate before
returning through the town centre and on to Tankerton.
There were a number of problems. The Tollgate was
a narrow 'turntable'. Furthermore, the procession actually passed itself in Canterbury Road
and Oxford Street. This caused congeetion and made viewing difficult.
On one occasion, a carnival queen float (possibly that of Ramsgate) had to
undergo some temporary modifications to cope with the route. As a
result, it lost a rather large set of butterfly
wings!
At Tower Parade the procession veered off the main
road and made its way to Tankerton Circus via the residential
roads of Northwood Road and Kingsdown Park. Why? Well, it could be
that the organisers realised the limitations of 1950s vehicles!
The route kept to flat ground and avoided Tankerton hill. It may
also have been a way of making the trek easier for youngsters.
A few years later, the committee introduced the
present day route. This was shorter and less complicated. It
started in Tankerton Road and made its it way to
Canterbury Road via Tower Parade, Harbour Street, High Street and
Oxford Street.
Of course, the new route did lose one advantage...
ie the ability to watch the entire carnival twice in one night by
standing in Woodlawn Street and then slipping up to Tower
Parade!
Choosing the
Carnival Queen
The choice of carnival queen was a little
different from today. It was conducted during the afternoon at
Whitstable Regatta. An area of Tankerton Slopes was fenced off to
the west of the St Annes Road toilet block. The contestants
paraded in front of rows of seats that were occupied by
dignitaries and paying customers. The non-paying masses gathered
along the fencing.
In the evening, the fenced area was used for the
Regatta firework display and the crowds gathered on the hill of
Marine Parade facing east. Some years later, this arrangement was
deemed unsafe and the fireworks were moved to the beach. Even more
recently, they have been moved to an offshore boat.
Bill Dancer (one of our regular contributors to
Simply Whitstable) tells me that the Carnival Queen of '56, Anne
Boorer, was a member of the All Saints Youth fellowship.
Carnival Entries
of '56
Now, let's take a look at the published entries
for the 1956 processionstart to link them with photographs that
have been sent to us over the years. For convenience, we'll take them
in sections. I am sure you will be able to pick out some familiar
names.....
It's interesting to spot the late 1950s influence with
a junior Tommy Steele signing in as contestant number 10
(see above). The 9-12 years Pedestrian category also
addressed topical issues of the day such as "Rock Around
the Clock" and the relatively new "Eleven
Plus" school examination (see below) .....
Two names will be familiar to older Natives in
that 'Class 10 - Decorated Prams' category (above).
The Smithers family were responsible for some superb
carnival entries during the 1950s... and John Offen
was a regular at many East Kent carnivals as Old Mother
Riley.
Bill Dancer has mentioned that the Air Training
Corps (ATC) 'Flying Bedstead' (No 60 above) was
probably a reference to a 1950s invention - an early Vertical Take
Off aircraft (more like a metal frame with a vertically
mounted jet engine).
Bands were evenly distributed throughout the
procession. As a result, they cropped up in some odd categories.....
Thanks to Jock Harnett, we actually have a couple of
photos of the Sea Scouts 'pirate band' of 1956 (Entry No. 75)....
The photo above shows the pirates making ready
near Weatherly's old bakery (now Stock DIY shop) in Cromwell Road.
The shot below appears to have been taken after the event.... at
Tankerton Slopes.
Entry No. 92 ("A Gaggle of Gollies")
ties in nicely with another photo sent to us a couple of years ago
by Jackie Evans (Ferrell) . It features the 1957 Sporting Gollies
from Robinsons marmalade jars outside the old Drill Hall in
Cromwell Road. The entry was organised by Iris Jennings and
comprised young ladies from Clare Road. Jackie is the lacrosse
playing golly. I understand that the oufits were loaned by the
Robinsons company.
Community spirit was quite strong in those days
and it was not unusual for a road or locality to place an entry in
the procession. Another difference was that gollies were
acceptable in 1956. In those days, we were innocent of any racial
overtones. To us, gollies were just toys that happened to be black
More of our photos can be dated from the next program
clip.....
Take a look at entry No 119. This was produced by the
British Red Cross Society and based on the 1950s "King and
I" musical. It features in the following picture sent to us by
Sue Pidford in New Zealand...
Now consider Entry No. 125 - Daisy and The
Gang's "Swan Lake Fantasy". It is almost
certainly the one featured in a photo sent to us rby Margarett Emery
(Darby).....
It was
organized a Mrs Collier and deployed girls from the Fountain
Street neighbourhood. Margarett is the fourth swan from the left.
Of course, older readers will notice a familiar sight in the
background.... the D & S Gaywood public address van. Speakers
did get smaller in later decades!
The procession always ended with the Largest
Collecting Box in the world... and it seems that 1957 may have
been no different....
Bill Dancer recalls the collecting box being a
Whitstable Urban District Council dust cart into which spectators
hurled their final few coppers.
As with all Whitstable's carnivals, the procession was
followed by a carnival dance. Most people will remember the dances at
the Marine Hotel and 1956 was no exception...
... and it was available for just four shillings (20p)!
However, the Marine wasn't the only venue used by the Carnival
Association in the 1950s. Here is an extract from one of Ian's
slightly earlier program...
It was sixpence cheaper and held at the old
Assembly rooms at the Horsebridge. With dress an
"optional" extra, it was a night to let it all hang out.
It just goes to show that The Assembly Rooms
played a big part in the Community of Whitstable in the past. It
has now disappeared of course to be replaced by private
apartments, shops and the Horsebridge Arts and Community Centre.
Adverts...
Apart from the official information, Carnival
programs contained a wide range of adverts relating to local
businesses. Ian's samples have enabled us to take a lighthearted
look at Whitstable's commercial world of the 1950s in a separate
article called "Whitstable in Old Ads". Click
here to view.
Our Thanks..
On behalf of all our readers, I would like to thank Ian for taking the time
to produce these snippets from his collection and generating so many memories. We
would also like to thank Jock Harnett, Jackie Evans, Margarett
Emery, Sue Pidford and Bill Dancer for contributing photos
and stories.
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