Middleton's Pace Eggers. [leisure trust, arts heritage, sports centres, fitness health, rochdale, link4life, entertainment, Rochdale Boroughwide Cultural Trust, museum, middleton arena, gallery, touchstones, local studies, central, bowlee, springhill, marland, heywood, littleborough,]
Pace Egg, Ring O' Bell's, Rhodes (1985)
Pace Egg, Middleton -outside the Barber's Arms, Rhodes (1989)
Pace Egg, Ring O'Bell's (1976)
Pace Egg Mummers at Rhodes, Middleton (1994)
Middleton's Pace Eggers.
From the Middleton Guardian. 23rd April 1985.
The annual pace egg play in full swing, outside the Ring o’ Bells public house, Middleton, on Easter Monday 1976.
Photo courtesy of the Middleton Guardian.
Motley Crew.
Middleton Guardian. 30th March, 1989.
St George and his motley crew of pace-eggers paraded the streets of the town on Easter Monday to give performances of the traditional play at various hostelries. Here they are seen ready to do their stuff at the Barbers Arms, Rhodes.
The photograph shows a full complement of characters, with the King of Egypt, re-named the King of England, on the left, blowing a bugle, St George, kneeling at the front with either Hector or the Prince of Paradine, whom they have re-named the Turkish Champion. The character wearing a shawl at the back is probably ‘Dirty Bet.’ ‘Devil Doubt’ (re-named Derry Doubt in later Middleton reports) stands next to Bet, holding his brush. ‘Captain’ Slasher, waving his sword in the air, stands next to the Doctor, and on the far right we can see Beelzebub, with his ‘dripping pan.’ Dobbin the horse also features in this version.
On 7th April 1994, the Middleton Guardian made this report on the annual pace egg play:
The Turkish Champion launches an onslaught on St George in the traditional Easter Pace Egg play performed in a number of Middleton hostelries on Monday. Looking on are members of the motley cast including the King of England, Beelzebub, Captain Slasher and Dobbin the horse.
The mummers play was revived over 25 years ago by Crumpsall born celebrity Mike Harding, now of Alkrington, who was performing at that time at the Ring O’ Bells folk club in New Lane.
The same group of performers, minus Mike, have now been raising laughs around the town for more than a decade.
