Photography by Dom Thompson
At 05:30 in the morning on Monday 1st May (whilst most of the townsfolk across the five valleys where still sound asleep) Stroud’s all female Morris dancing side Boss Morris, together with their instrument wielding beasts and fellow locals Miserden Morris, headed up to Rodborough Common to celebrate May Day with sunrise dancing, morris hopping, Jacky-in-the-Green adorning, morning dew face washing and songs including the belting out of the traditional Hal An Tow. A procession with the hoard of onlookers now turned joiners from the common to the Prince Albert shortly followed where the pub on the steep hill opened their doors early as part of the last day of their annual beer festival to feed and water the early risers…
We didn’t make it (one of those still asleep after one too many at the Prince Albert Beer Festival the night before) but our contributing photographer Dom Thompson (Expoja) did and created a series of photographs to document the brilliant event as part of our new photojournal series.
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Boss Morris will be at this year’s Hidden Notes Festival which takes place in Stroud at the end of September as Resident Artists with an exhibition at Lansdown Gallery. Visit Hidden Notes for further info and head to bossmorris.com for other Boss Morris news and forthcoming events which also includes the Randwick Wap on the 13th May.
