On Platinum Jubilee Sunday, three teams of Morris dancers converged in front of Rye Town Hall in front of an admiring crowd. The skill of the Greensleeves men from Wimbledon were well known because they had often visited in previous years as had the team from East Surrey, based at Carshalton.
New to this spectator though was the group calling themselves Black Swan Border Morris, a mixed gender team also from Carshalton. They were different in dress with their black swans’ feathers attire and cudgels which they wielded with great agility and style, but without causing serious harm.
They contrasted well with the other groups, with what seemed a more traditional style, a balletic mixture of formal sedate and energetic dancing.
Image Credits: Kenneth Bird .