Cold Ash Mummers
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Links to other mummers Performance dates
Diary of other local and national performances
Links to other mummers Performance dates
Diary of other local and national performances
Cold Ash (map) is a medium-sized village just north of Thatcham in Berkshire and quite near to Newbury. There were mummers all around this area in the early part of the 20th century but, as in many places, they gradually died out. Various revivals have occurred but have not lasted long. The most successful of recent years has been the Downlands band, under Rowlie Brown, who have been going for 32 years (2008).
The Cold Ash band grew out of a village play staged in 1993 in which a mummers play was performed. This version was 'borrowed' from a Hampshire play and whilst it bore some resemblance to the local one was definitely 'foreign'.
As a result of researching and writing the village play, I thought it would be good to try to revive the original Cold Ash play as far as we could. Rowlie Brown let me have copies of various publications and I visited the Folk Law Library in London to see if I could find an original version.
The nearest was that of Thatcham plus a few snatches of the Cold Ash play remembered by some of the older residents when interviewed a number of years ago. So with a bit of imagination we have managed to recreate something of the original. I'm certain that there was more to it than what we now have. There are hints in the lines of other characters, probably similar to those in the 'Downland' version.
We’ve been going for 15 years and now perform the play in five local pubs. At first these were The Bunk at Courage, The Lamb, Long Lane, the Spotted Dog and the Castle in Cold Ash and the Sun in the Wood, Stoney Lane, Ashmore Green. In the last three years, we’ve stopped going to the Lamb and go the Fox in Hermitage instead. Some of the original members from the village play are still in it but there has been a gradual change of personnel.
In keeping with the oral tradition there is a great deal of spontaneity and improvisation in our performances which are played with great gusto. We now have our own style which is distinct from the Hermitage band and that's the way it should be. If you want to catch us, look out for posters in the pubs; we're normally there about one or two weekends before Christmas but, again in keeping with tradition, we vary the dates and times a bit.
The performance always starts outside the pub with a gutsy rendering of the Mummers' Song 'God Bless the Master of this House...' A section of the talented Cold Ash Brass Band provide the musical accompaniment and play a selection of carols after each performance while we pass the hat around (Cold Ash Brass usually have their excellent Christmas concert in St Mark’s church Cold Ash on the Thursday before Christmas).
The Cold Ash band grew out of a village play staged in 1993 in which a mummers play was performed. This version was 'borrowed' from a Hampshire play and whilst it bore some resemblance to the local one was definitely 'foreign'.
As a result of researching and writing the village play, I thought it would be good to try to revive the original Cold Ash play as far as we could. Rowlie Brown let me have copies of various publications and I visited the Folk Law Library in London to see if I could find an original version.
The nearest was that of Thatcham plus a few snatches of the Cold Ash play remembered by some of the older residents when interviewed a number of years ago. So with a bit of imagination we have managed to recreate something of the original. I'm certain that there was more to it than what we now have. There are hints in the lines of other characters, probably similar to those in the 'Downland' version.
We’ve been going for 15 years and now perform the play in five local pubs. At first these were The Bunk at Courage, The Lamb, Long Lane, the Spotted Dog and the Castle in Cold Ash and the Sun in the Wood, Stoney Lane, Ashmore Green. In the last three years, we’ve stopped going to the Lamb and go the Fox in Hermitage instead. Some of the original members from the village play are still in it but there has been a gradual change of personnel.
In keeping with the oral tradition there is a great deal of spontaneity and improvisation in our performances which are played with great gusto. We now have our own style which is distinct from the Hermitage band and that's the way it should be. If you want to catch us, look out for posters in the pubs; we're normally there about one or two weekends before Christmas but, again in keeping with tradition, we vary the dates and times a bit.
The performance always starts outside the pub with a gutsy rendering of the Mummers' Song 'God Bless the Master of this House...' A section of the talented Cold Ash Brass Band provide the musical accompaniment and play a selection of carols after each performance while we pass the hat around (Cold Ash Brass usually have their excellent Christmas concert in St Mark’s church Cold Ash on the Thursday before Christmas).