Long Man Morris Men Midsummer Walking Tour

“Morris Men are the butt of a lot of jokes”, says Norman Hopson, the publicity officer and former ‘squire’ of the Long Men of Wilmington, who are dancing in three different Lewes locations this weekend. “People say its middle-aged men and old fellas dancing on their own because they haven’t got partners, and stuff like that. We don’t mind, really. We’re doing it as a hobby; we’re doing it for the fun of it; but most of all we’re doing it to keep the old traditions alive”.

He tells me about his ‘side’. The Long Men dance in the Cotswolds style, but have developed a number of their own routines, with names like ‘Bill Brewer’, ‘Butts Down’, and ‘John Hop’. The sticks they use are symbolic of weapons or farm tools; the handkerchiefs and bells were originally to ward off evil spirits. They dance to musical accompaniment: two fiddles, a couple of melodeons, and a ‘pipe and taber’ (whistle and drum). Their mascot is a two-legged pantomime horse affair, with a wooden boar’s head. They’ve recently celebrated their 25th anniversary, for which they created the ‘Silver Service’ dance. And they enormously enjoy what they do. “We’re serious, don’t get me wrong” says Norman. “But we’re only serious about putting a good show together. You’ll see a big smile on our faces while we’re dancing”. AG

Start Lewes Castle 10.30am, Dorset Arms 11.30am, John Harvey 12.30pm, Town Centre 2pm