Dance around the ‘Maypole Gardens’
Date: 22/06/2007
Region: North West
Anyone interested in local history or traditional dancing should make their way to our 'Maypole Gardens' development on Park Lane, Abram this Saturday 30th June. On the last Saturday in June every year the Abram Morris Dancers perform their ancient right to secure a plot of common ground and dance around a May pole.
The Memorials of Abram by John Leyland of the Grange, Hindley, published in 1882 state that
"A plot of land in Park Lane, 20 yards long by 16 wide, is fenced round and known as the Morris Dancers' ground. The enclosure was originally taken from the waste, and the generally received opinion in the neighbourhood is that if Morris Dancing be not celebrated once in twenty years, the right to the land lapses. To this belief the custom probably owes its preservation."
No one knows for sure when Morris Dancing at this location actually started because it predates records. The area has adopted the maypole symbol on boundary signs and the local colliery was named the Maypole in recognition of the history attached to the area.
We have continued the tradition in naming its our development of luxury homes 'Maypole Gardens'.
Events start on Park Lane at 11am and then proceed to our development before setting off on a tour on the area which finishes at the Dover Lock Inn at 8pm. We are offering light refreshments from 11am from the Maypole Gardens Marketing Suite located on Park Lane.