Peace Day in our ancient town surpassed all expectations and what few pessimists therein were utterly confounded. The people in their might rose to the great occasion. Our worthy High Street presented a grand sight with the lavish decorations which were seen on every side and all other thoroughfares and even minor streets did their best to brighten up with flags etc. There were three stands and two tracks and the programmes included foot races, sack, three-legged, bun and treacle, human wheelbarrow, pillow fighting, skipping, ball bouncing, nail driving, etc?
Photograph and extract from Heavisides Almanack 1920 Photograph from Messrs Thirlwell, Photographers, Bridge Road
During the thirties in Norton, on a piece of “common” land between Summerhouse Square and Mill Street, a greasy pole, which could have been a ships mast, was erected vertically, it had a small flag stuck in the top, whoever managed to climb the pole and bring the flag down got a prize. Another game was catch the greasy pig, a small pig which was covered in lard, or something like that, was turned loose, it naturally ran away, but if it was caught and held before it got off the common it belonged to the person who had caught it. A good prize in the hungry thirties.
Actually this is a pillow fighting contest, it says so on the poster.
“Bun and Treacle” was a game where a line (4/6) of large bread buns covered in thick sticky, black treacle was hung by string and those taking part, with their hands behind the back, were timed – the fastest at eating going forward into a final heat for a prize. Heavisides also tells of the “Greasy Pig” when a ships mast coated in tar and grease was set over the water and mud of Kellys Landing , Bishop Street – the prize being a small pig in a cage at the end of the post.
What was “bun and treacle”?
What a fantastic old photograph, more like this please!