The Pageant of Plymouth Hoe

Pageant type

Jump to Summary

Performances

Place: Royal Citadel on Plymouth Hoe (Plymouth) (Plymouth, Devon, England)

Year: 1953

Indoors/outdoors: Outdoors

Number of performances: 7

Notes

18–25 July 1953, at 9.30pm

Name of pageant master and other named staff

  • Producer [Pageant Master]: Penrose, Cyril
  • Assistant Producer: Jean Mason
  • Marshal: Angus Rose
  • Assistant Marshal: Frank Jeffery
  • Costume Master: Leonard Berney
  • Costume Adviser: Sir Michael Bruce, Bart.
  • Musical Director: Edgar Littlejohns
  • Musical Adviser: C.C. Cooper
  • Lighting Engineer: George Kendall
  • Sound Engineer: Jack Eddy
  • Communications Officer: Kenneth Gardener
  • Master of Horse: Lieutenant-Commander Nichols, RNVR
  • Make-up Advisers: Miss M. Dusting and Miss Hocking
  • Service Representatives to Production Committee: Wing Commander Angel, RAF; Major Burt, RA; Major Dennis, RA; Commander Watkins, RN

Names of executive committee or equivalent

Plymouth Coronation Pageant Committee:

  • Chairman: C.P. Brown, JP
  • Hon. Secretary: E.T. English, MBE
  • Hon. Treasurer: F.J.W. Hodgson
  • Assistant Hon. Secretary: Mrs L.A. Hammett
  • Assistant Hon. Secretary: Mrs G.M. Rogers
  • C.J. Woodrow
  • C.E. Penrose
  • W. Best Harris, FLA
  • Wing Commander E. Angell
  • L. Berney
  • R.G. Carey
  • A.J. Charlwood
  • P.H. Cole, MBE
  • C.C. Cooper
  • Miss H.V. Dennis
  • Captain R. Dennis, RA
  • Crispin Gill
  • L. Parry James
  • E. Littlejohns
  • Miss J. Mason
  • J.B. Paterson
  • A.D.S. Rose
  • Captain F.R.A.D. Taylor, RM
  • W.C. Taylor
  • N.A.T. Vinson
  • Commander W.C. Watkin, RN
  • 22 men, 4 women = 26 total

Business Sub-Committee:

  • Chairman: C.J. Woodrow

Production Sub-Committee:

  • Chairman: C.E. Penrose

Publicity Sub-Committee:

  • Chairman: W. Best Harris, FLA

Episode Production

Episode I—1200 BC—The Legendary Birth of Plymouth’

  • Presented by the Plymouth and District Boy Scouts’ Local Association
  • Episode Producer: C.H. Chapman
  • Assistants: A. Bowden, A.W. Nelmas, R.V. Wilson
  • Wardrobe Mistress: Miss B. Willis

Episode II—1355—‘The Black Prince’

  • Presented by the Plymstock Amateur Operatic Society and the Carmenians Amateur Operatic Society
  • Episode Producer: Dennis Reed
  • Episode Marshal: L.E. Osborne
  • Assistant Marshal: A.J. Canniford
  • Wardrobe Mistress: Mrs L. Goodman

Episode III—1403—‘The French Raid of August 10th’

  • Presented by RAF Mount Batten with Plymouth Air Training Corps
  • Episode Producer: J/Tech. F.B. Dewhurst
  • Episode Marshal: F/O.D.W Braddock
  • Assistant: P/O P.W. Wright
  • Wardrobe Mistress: P/O B. Mason

Episode IV—1440—‘The Incorporation’

  • Presented by H.M.S. Thunderer with the Plymouth Company of Archers
  • Episode Producer: Commander (E) E.G.B. Penn, RN
  • Episode Marshal: Sub.-Lt. (E) Badcock, RN
  • Wardrobe Master: Sub.-Lt. (E) Catchpole

Episode V—1501—‘The Arrival of Catherine of Aragon’

  • Presented by the Tamaritans Dramatic Society with the 65 H.A.A. Regiment, T.A.; the Parish Church of St Andrew with St Catherine; St Alban with St Christopher’s Church; Crownhill; the Choir of the Parish Church of Charles with St Luke; the Ancient Order of Foresters; Royal Air Forces Association; The Staff of Brown, Wills & Nicholson LTD (Beechwood factory); the Staff of Plymouth City Library; the Staff of Plymouth Post Office Telephones
  • Episode Producer: Don E. Knaphay
  • Episode Marshal: W.Y. Barter
  • Wardrobe Mistress: Louise Rogers
  • Assistants: Mesdames Oxford and Powell

Episode VI—1531—‘Old William Hawkins Returns from Brazil’

  • Presented by the Plymouth Arts Centre
  • Episode Producer: John Shields-Gray
  • Wardrobe Mistress: Cherry Mayner
  • Episode Marshal: Maire Dunne
  • Make-up Mistress: Violet Rooks

Episode VII—1588—‘The Game of Bowls’

  • Presented by H.M. Ships ‘Fisgard’ and ‘Raleigh’ with the assistance of H.M. Ships ‘Defiance’ and ‘Dunkirk’
  • Episode Producer: Instr. Lieut. I.G. Mortimer
  • Assistant Producer: Instr. S/LT. R.W. Morgan
  • Episode Marshal: Rev. D. Young
  • Assistants: Instr. Lt. G.T.A. Jenkins, Instir. S/Lt. J.L. Peach, Instr. S/Lt. A.C. Loader, Apprentices Balls, Kelly, Nicholas, Walker, Williams
  • Wardrobe Mistress: 3rd Officer Y.C.R. Smith
  • Assistants: Ch. Wrens Farish and McNabb; P.O. Wren Watson; LDG. Wrens Mallabone and Porter; Wren K. Wilson
  • Make-up Assistants: Lt (E) W. Bond, Lt. (L) A. Brown, Ist.-Lt G. Hooper, Mr A.T. Ayres, SCMAA, Sister Knight, QARNNS, G.L. Strachan (E.M.)

Episode VIII—1620—‘The Mayflower’

  • Presented by the Swarthmore Settlement and Free Churches of Plymouth
  • Episode Producer: Henry Whitfield
  • Episode Marshal: J.A.E. Weeks
  • Costume Mistress: Vera Adamson
  • Musical Direction: E.A. Buckingham

Episode IX—1643—‘The Siege’

  • Presented by Tothill Community Centre with Berkertex Dramatic Society, Staff of Brown, Wills & Nicholson (Prince Rock), Tohill Townswomen’s Guild, Mount Gold Co-Operative Guild, Plymouth Battalion Boys’ Brigade, Staff of Tecalemit Ltd.
  • Episode Producer: Mrs M. Reed
  • Episode Marshal: Mr E. Bolton Way
  • Wardrobe Mistress: Mrs F. Woods

Episode X—1690—‘The Foundation of the Dockyard’

  • Presented by The Royal Dockyard Players with the London Society, Plymouth Burns Club, City of Plymouth Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society, Mutley Co-Operative Guild, Central Townswomen’s Guild, English Folk Dancing and Song Society, Detachment of Royal Marines, Band of R.M. Volunteer Cadet Corps (Plymouth Division)
  • Episode Producer: Harvey Crane
  • Episode Marshal: Dorothy Scarle
  • Assistant: Francis Swain
  • Episode Costume Mistress: Joan Parsons
  • Assistant: Margaret Laing

Episode XI—1815—‘Napoleon in Plymouth Sound’

  • Presented by the Western College Players, the Mayflower Players, the Astor Players
  • Episode Producer: Harry Roberts
  • Episode Marshal: Winifred Graham
  • Wardrobe Mistresses: Mesdames H.M. Pattinson, Gladys Wynne

Episode XII—1914—‘The Amalgamation of the Three Towns’

  • Presented by 47 Coast Regiment, RA with the Island Players, the Veteran Car Club, Choir of Charles Church with St Luke
  • Episode Producer: Major P.B. Manson, RA
  • Assistant Producer: Mrs D.W.L. Richey
  • Episode Marshal: Captain R. Skipper MC, RA
  • Wardrobe Master: Captain D.G. Coote, RA

The Epilogue

  • Episode Producer: E.J.B. Lord

Notes

Sponsored by the Plymouth Council of Social Service in co-operation with Plymouth City Council and H.M. Services. See summary for military connections.

Names of script-writer(s) and other credited author(s)

  • Gill, Crispin

Names of composers

n/a

Numbers of performers

1500

Horses

Financial information

According to the pageant chairman, C.P. Brown, the loss was guaranteed by the City Council: ‘the ‘amount we shall have to come to them for will be a comparatively small one.’1

Object of any funds raised

n/a

Linked occasion

Queen Elizabeth II Coronation

Audience information

  • Grandstand: Yes
  • Grandstand capacity: 6000
  • Total audience: 21372

Notes

  • Saturday 18 July: approximately 35002
  • Monday 20 July: ‘little over 3000’3
  • Tuesday 21 July: 25754
  • Wednesday 22 July: 29105
  • Thursday 23 July: 33876
  • Friday 24 July: 42617
  • Saturday 2 July: 41698
  • Stated Total: 213729

Prices of admission and seats: highest–lowest

n/a

Associated events

A celebratory ball, attended by 400 of the pageant performers (many in costume), took place the week following.

Pageant outline

Prologue

A man in modern dress walks two boys to the centre stage, before taking a seat at the side of the arena. He begins to tell the story.

Episode I. The Legendary Birth of Plymouth, 1200 BC

Brutus, who landed at Totnes with his Trojans, has settled in a peaceful village beside Sutton Harbour. They are attacked by the native giants, who are defeated in bitter combat. Corincus, a chief of the Trojans, does single-handed battle with the giant, Gogmagog, and eventually chases him down the slopes of Lambhay Hill. This is the legendary founding of Plymouth. The modern man declares: ‘That was the legend of our birth. But there has been a little village here since the dawn of history, unimportant until the Black Prince first established it as a naval base.’

Episode II. The Black Prince, 1355

Villagers awaiting the arrival of the Black Prince, with the captains of the fleet assembled. Some muttering that it is a bad thing for Plymouth, some arguing that it will make for greatness. Then, to trumpets, a procession of the Black Prince’s arrival, in armour and on a horse, with a mounted escort of men at arms, the Prior of Plympton on a fat horse and the chief citizen at the Prince’s side. The Prince is departing for the French wars (Poitiers); he extolls the value of Plymouth as a port and rides off to the harbour amid the cheers and din of saluting guns. The waverers in the local people are all for this new development. The commentator announces: ‘So Plymouth became a naval base. But the price was soon to be exacted.

Episode III. The French Raid of August 10th, 1403

The French raid and burn the town as far as Breton Side. The captain of the garrison and the Mayor enter to centre stage, where they can watch and describe the fight in the Cattewater, then at Cattedown. Eventually the battle flows into the arena, with the locals being forced back by the Bretons, and a few straw huts set on fire. At the last, one of the watching captains leaps in the fray, rallying the locals and driving off the Bretons. The captain declares ‘this will convince the King we need better defences… This will convince the King we need to be free of the Prior of Plympton, so that we can see to our defence’. The commentator declares: ‘But it was to take Plymouth 35 years to win its freedom.’

Episode IV. The Incorporation, 1440

A medieval fair with music, clowns, mummers, a joust between two armoured knights on horseback, free drink for the people and finally the famous pie of Mayor William Ketrich, 14-foot long by 4-foot broad. Thomas Yogge says he will give the material for a new tower for St Andrew’s if the town will give the labour, and the Mayor, accepting, says a piece about the great future of the borough. The commentator relates: ‘Plymouth prospered, and saw to its defence. Its Mayor each year was its commander in chief whose duty station was in the hoe fort and each alderman and councillor had his station in the defence. St Andrew’s acquired its new tower, and it still stands.’

Episode V. The Arrival of Catherine of Aragon, 1501

Arrival of Catherine of Aragon, attended by the Archbishop of Compostello and many great nobles, welcomed by Mayor Thomas Cross and housed in Palace Court. The town is out in strength and rejoicing for the arrival of a bride for Arthur, Prince of Wales, Henry VII’s son. A boisterous welcome for an imposing procession on foot, hushed when the Princess, heavily veiled and only 16, is seen to be sick and weary from a rough voyage. There is a welcome from the Mayor, and they go on to St Andrews to give thanks for a safe arrival. The crowd watches them out in silent sympathy. One voice mutters that here will be a sad life, after so dull an arrival; another that a Spanish princess will bring no good to England; but they are shouted down and the crowd swoops after the procession with cheers, as the bells of St Andrew’s ring out. The Commentator declares: ‘Hers was to be a sad life. Her first husband was to die five months after marriage; he second became Henry VIII, and in divorcing Catherine was to bring the Reformation, and eventually the breach with Catholic Spain.’

Episode VI. Old William Hawkins Returns from Brazil, 1531

Old William Hawkins welcomed home from his first voyage to Brazil. The ‘twelve and the 24’, the aldermen and councillors of Plymouth walk in procession to their council chamber. William Hawkins joins them, to tell of his first trading voyage to the Canaries and Brazil, and introduces an Indian chief he has brought home leaving Martin Cockrell of Plymouth behind as hostage. An alderman points out that Spain regards these lands as her own, but Hawkins answers that we only want peaceful trade, and that we will not be shut out from the New World. The council has adjourned when a man comes running: ‘A Spanish ship is passing Fisher’s Nose into the Cattewater, and has not dropped her topsails or dippered her ensign.’ The Mayor orders a shot across her bows. No acknowledgement. Hawkins shouts, ‘Shoot out her topsails’; the boom of the gun is heard again, a shout ‘We’ve hit’ and then another cry, ‘She salutes, she salutes’. Hawkins replies ‘That must always be our answer, Mr Mayor. We offer Spain friendship, but we will not endure her arrogance.’ Commentator affirms that ‘Plymouth men fought Spain long before England discovered it was the only way; before England realised as she did in 1588.’

Episode VII. The Game of Bowls, 1588

Drake and the great Elizabethans come out to the centre and begin their game of bowls. Captain Fleming brings news of the approach of the Armada. Drake replies ‘There is time to finish the game’, and bowls up another wood as Lord Howard remonstrates. Drake says quietly: ‘Send the drummer to beat the men back to their ships, m’lord. We must not seem alarmed, and we must warp out the ships against this wind. We cannot do that until the tide is ebbing’. A file of soldiers crosses backstage, drums beating, ordering men back to their ships. Drake is talking to Fleming; Howard and Hawkins with him. They break off for their turn in the game, and return to the talk. Howard is expostulating: ‘We are trapped’. Drake: ‘Trapped m’lord?’ He makes the last and winning throw. He speaks again: ‘The ebb tide that takes us out will carry us close under… and to windward of the Spaniards. Then with God’s grace not one will escape again to Spain. We have calmed the people. Now calmly to our ships, and to a great day for England’. So away, to the cheers of the townsmen. The commentator explains how ‘these men went out to humble Spain, and to open the New World to England. Many of the Plymouth men tried to establish colonies there, but the first colony was settled by a ship that sailed from Plymouth only by accident.

Episode VIII. The Mayflower, 1620

Carver, Winslow, Bradford with Captain Jones of the Mayflower and many of her company and the Nonconformists of Plymouth cross the arena. Captain John Smith, the great Virginian, hurries to overtake them. He asks them if they are to sail today. They are—they have had their last prayer meeting with the Plymouth brothers. Captain Smith offers his services for the last time; they are ill-equipped and inexperienced. Others have joined them, and advise caution, pointing out that half the company has been transferred to the Speedwell and given up. John Carver says they will go for they find it insufferable, despite the Kindness of Plymouth, to stay. With God’s help, and with their faith, they will succeed. ‘Captain Smith’, declares a Plymouth brother, ‘with that spirit they will succeed’. And they move off to the Barbican, with cheers off-stage to greet them as they go down to the ship. The Commentator declares: ‘And succeed they did, and in honour of that already Puritan town behind them, they called their first settlement Plymouth. The old Plymouth was to need some of their faith in the years before them.’

Episode IX. The Siege, 1643

Mayor Cawse, Colonel Wardley, wounded Colonel Gould, and the officers, assemble as a trumpet note is heard, and under a white flag, is brought in a call from Princes Maurice asking for surrender and offering a general pardon. Many in the crowd are wounded, all are ragged. There is silence and a stirring in the crowd as the towns officers confer. Then the beat of a drum is heard, and the cheers of the crowd. Escorted by the crowd, then march in seven men, with a flag flying and dragging one gun, the garrison from Fort Stamford, found after the battle. They are wounded and weary, but they had held to the end. Colonel Wardlow tells the King’s men that there was their answer; they would not give up the fight. The emissaries go. Led by the Mayor, the solemn vow and covenant to defend Plymouth to the end is made. In silence the townsmen move back to take up their positions. The Commentator relates: ‘Plymouth did hold out. After the Civil War, Charles II built the Citadel to keep the town in order, but ironically enough it was the first Royal Fortress to surrender to William of Orange when the Stuarts were driven out. And William established Plymouth’s future property.’

Episode X. The Foundation of the Dockyard, 1690

William III with his attendant retinue meets the engineers who point out the natural advantages of Plymouth as a naval base; explain why the Cattewater is too small; refer to Raleigh’s scheme to use the Hamoaze and Charles IIs plan for a yard at Saltash; and argue the case for the Devon bank. The Corporation comes to meet the King, and William goes to inspect the Hamoaze by boat, the Mayor seeing him off and the council remaining. Voices are raised that this will mean the end to Plymouth, that it is three or four miles to the new yard and that all the trade will go westwards. A strong reply comes that if Plymouth stays beside Sutton pool it will be choked; that it must reach out to become a mighty town. The King has embarked, and the council goes to cheer his passage. The Commentator adds: ‘So Devonport was born, to become by the end of the Napoleonic Wars, a bigger town even than Plymouth. But Plymouth too had grown by the time Napoleon’s war brought a prisoner to Plymouth Sound.’

Episode XI. Napoleon in Plymouth Sound, 1815

The crowd comes across to watch the Bellerophon; Napoleon is on deck and there are rumours that he is to be brought ashore. A boat is coming off. Napoleon is in it. He is not in it. Yes he is. No, he is still on Bellerophon. Lord Keith and other naval officers arrive, and a Frenchmen tries to speak to him but is whistled aside. The Mayor meets Lord Keith. All these rumours are nonsense; they must be ended. Keith answers they will be ended. He has held a council of war at Belair House, and Admiralty dispatches have ordered that Napoleon is to go into exile at St Helena. Lord Keith is going off to tell Napoleon. An eavesdropper tells the crowd, and a rush begins for boats to go out and see him close to for perhaps the last time. The Commentator declares: ‘So Plymouth and Devonport went into a hundred years of peace, and prosperity and development, until they became one town by the start of the First World War, and a city before the Second started, that was to hammer out the heart of the greater Plymouth.’

Episode XII. The Amalgamation of the Three Towns, 1914

Lights shine out of St Catherine’s Church as the Kipling Hymn ‘Lest we forget’ is heard. The church doors open and the choir, followed by the Chaplain, comes in procession out of the church. Then comes the garrison commander, army officers in full dress uniform, and their ladies dressed in the height of fashion. Then the troops file out, before the band strikes up a regimental march and the troops salute, before passing out. Two local women discuss the prospect of war, before Captain Deveraux enters and discusses the amalgamation of the three towns, making it sound ludicrous that they were not already joined. More men involved with the amalgamation enter and discuss its passage and difficulties—before stating that the pressures of wartime are likely to see it through. A motorcar race then takes place in the centre of the arena.

The Epilogue

A searchlight lights up across the sky and waves its white beam. An air-raid warden crosses the arena; then another, till three or four or so are gathered together. Quiet talk. Last night was bad. Bedford St gone. George St gone. Guildhall gone. St Andrews burnt out. Just the tower left. We can’t go on. Much more and we must pack in. An angry voice back, we must go on. Plymouth always goes on. Plymouth must fight on. The cry goes up from the flanks of the arena. Plymouth never gives in. The players from all the earlier scenes, still in their costumes, come crowding on from the centuries; Plymouth goes on. The voice of the resolute warden is raised, Plymouth will build again. Into the great clamour of voices come the bells of St Andrews, and the commentator moves from his point to the centre stage: ‘Listen to the words of a new Queen Elizabeth, whose coronation year this is; hear what she said when she came to St Andrews in 1950’. After the deep roar of the crowd a girl’s voice rings high in the silence, quoting the speech of Princess Elizabeth at St Andrews. There is silence when the voice ends, and then from the outskirts of the crowd a single voice starts to sing, ‘God Save the Queen’, and all the tightly packed arena takes it up.

Key historical figures mentioned

  • Edward [Edward of Woodstock; known as the Black Prince], prince of Wales and of Aquitaine (1330–1376)
  • Ufford, Robert, first earl of Suffolk (1298–1369) magnate and soldier
  • Montagu, William [William de Montacute], first earl of Salisbury (1301–1344) soldier and magnate
  • Vere, John de, seventh earl of Oxford (1312–1360) magnate and soldier
  • Mohun, John, second Lord Mohun (1320?–1375) landowner and soldier
  • Despenser, Edward, first Lord Despenser (1336–1375) magnate and soldier
  • Howard [née Tilney], Agnes, duchess of Norfolk (b. in or before 1477, d. 1545) noblewoman
  • Katherine [Catalina, Catherine, Katherine of Aragon] (1485–1536) queen of England, first consort of Henry VIII
  • Hawkins, William (b. before 1490, d. 1554/5) merchant and sea captain
  • Hawkins, William (c.1519–1589) merchant and sea captain
  • Howard, Charles, second Baron Howard of Effingham and first earl of Nottingham (1536–1624) naval commander
  • Drake, Sir Francis (1540–1596) pirate, sea captain, and explorer
  • Fenton, Edward (d. 1603) soldier and sea captain
  • Hawkins, Sir John (1532–1595) merchant and naval commander
  • Hawkins [Hawkyns], Sir Richard (c.1560–1622) naval officer
  • Frobisher, Sir Martin (1535?–1594) privateer, explorer, and naval commander
  • Grenville, Sir Richard (1542–1591) naval commander
  • Ralegh, Sir Walter (1554–1618) courtier, explorer, and author
  • William III and II (1650–1702) king of England, Scotland, and Ireland, and prince of Orange
  • Grenville, John, first earl of Bath (1628–1701) nobleman
  • Trelawny, Sir Jonathan, third baronet (1650–1721) bishop of Winchester
  • Henry Greenhill (1646–1708) Commissioner of Admiralty
  • Elphinstone, George Keith, Viscount Keith (1746–1823) naval officer and politician

Musical production

The Pageant Choir of 200 voices was drawn from the following choirs:
  • The Plymouth Amateur Operatic and Dramatic Society
  • The Plymouth Choral Society
  • The Crownhill Choral Society
  • The Plymouth Clarion Choir
  • The Plymouth Madrigal Society
  • The Plymouth Orpheus Society
  • The Plymouth Reydon Singers
  • Charles Church with St Luke Church
  • Devonport Central Hall
  • Emmanuel Church
  • St Andrew Church with St Catherine Church
  • St Boniface Church (St Budeaux)
  • St George Church with St Paul’s Church (Stonehouse)
  • Salisbury Road Baptist Chapel 
  • St Simon’s Church
  • The Old People’s Choir
  • Zion Mission
  • Royal Marine Band, RN. Barracks under the direction of Commissioned Bandmaster Cooper

Newspaper coverage of pageant

Western Morning News
Western Evening Herald
Western Independent

Book of words

n/a

Other primary published materials

  • The Pageant of Plymouth Hoe. Plymouth, 1953. Souvenir book.

Price 1s. 100 copies for subscribers were produced from hand-made paper and bound in blue calf leather.10

References in secondary literature

  • Plymouth Council of Social Service. Annual Report 1952-1953. Plymouth, 1954.
  • Robinson, Chris. Plymouth in the Forties and Fifties. Plymouth, 2011.

Archival holdings connected to pageant

  • Plymouth and West Devon Record Office:
  • The Pageant of Plymouth Hoe (Plymouth, 1953). 2917/21.
  • Notes and Transcript of 'The Pageant of Plymouth Hoe'. 439/38/1.
  • There are many photographs of the pageant, available online in the Plymouth and West Devon Record Office catalogue, that are held under the following record numbers:
  • 1418/10070–72.
  • PCC/76/5/2280.
  • PCC/76/5/6745-6771.

Sources used in preparation of pageant

  • Geoffrey of Monmouth (Norman chronicler), Historia Regum Britanniae

Summary

The Pageant of Plymouth Hoe was a locally major event staged to celebrate the Queen’s Coronation in 1953. It was the first large pageant in the city since the Mayflower Pageant in 1920, and followed an unsuccessful attempt to stage a Victory Pageant in 1945.11 The figure behind that effort, C.P. Brown, clearly maintained an enthusiasm for pageantry in Plymouth, since he took up a position as the vocal chairman of the Coronation Pageant Committee in 1953. The original idea, however, came from E.C. English, the secretary of the Plymouth Council of Social Service. While he personally took ‘a small part and remained in the background’, the Council of Social Service also sponsored and took an active role in organising the event, in cooperation with the Plymouth City Council and H.M. Services.12 Producing the pageant was Cyril Penrose, a name well-known in amateur theatrical circles in the West Country for over 20 years. He had been the Chairman of the North Somerset Guild of Players and also of the Hallam Players of Clevedon, before, upon moving to Plymouth, becoming Vice-Chairman and producer for the Tamaritans of Plymouth – a theatre company.13 Authoring the pageant was a native of Plymouth, Crispin Gill. As well as an amateur playwright, he was a local historian, supporter of the restoration of Buckland Abbey, a founder of the Friends of Plymouth Art Gallery and Buckland Abbey, a Boy Scout District Commissioner for Tavistock and a member of the Board of Plymouth YMCA. Perhaps most importantly for the pageant’s publicity, he was also the assistant editor of the Western Morning News.14

Around 1500 performers acted in the pageant. By having each episode organised by a different organisation, or group of organisations—such as the Plymouth and District Boy Scouts’ Local Association, the Carmenians Amateur Operatic Society, RAF Mount Batten, Plymouth Air Training Corps, the Parish Church of St Andrew and the Staff of Plymouth City Library—a wide range of different communities within the city were brought into action and, in many cases, active cooperation. Interestingly, in the episodes produced by the Forces, the military structure was replicated; the leading character, for example, would be taken by the Lieutenant Commander, with support roles by Sub Lieutenants, and the crowd by Cadets. In general, and unsurprisingly considering the recent history of Plymouth, the site of the pageant, and its episodic choice, the military took a very active role in both the organisation and performance. As with the original Edwardian pageants, there was an emphasis on locally creating the properties. Many of the weapons, such as swords, stocks, cannonballs, and pikes, were made at the RAF Rehabilitation Centre at Collaton Cross. All but 300 of the costumes were made by the players themselves from provided material, with the remainder been hired from theatrical and film costumiers.

The production of the pageant was also impressively modern. Over a hundred floodlights were used, and, for the sound, the stage was divided into twelve areas, each with its own sound circuit, so as the performers moved across the stage the sound amplification went with them. The lighting brought particular praise, being described by the Western Morning News as ‘timeless and rather unreal. The acting arena floats detached from the audience in its lake of light.’15 It was staged without a hitch—until the final night, when, during the penultimate episode’s car race scene, a Renault 1910 model careered into the speakers after narrowly avoiding the spectators. The sound system was thus broken—Cyril Penrose, however, thought quickly on his feet, and read out the parts from his vantage point, using a rehearsal speaker that was still operational.16

In a sense the strong cooperative, voluntary and community basis of the pageant reflected the fundamental priorities of its leading organising body, the Plymouth Council of Social Service. A voluntary institution, formerly the Civic Guild of Help, its aim was ‘promoting any project for the good of the citizens of Plymouth’ and keeping ‘its eyes wide open to espy any gaps in the social life of the City and by itself or in co-operation with other voluntary and statutory bodies to fill them.’17 Its scope during the Second World War expanded massively with initiatives like the Red Cross Message Scheme, the formation of the Old People’s Welfare, the administration of the Lord Mayor’s Air Raid Relief Fund and the Lord Mayor’s Christmas Dinner Fund, and the Prisoners of War Guild, as it worked directly alongside municipal government. Yet, if the aim was to encourage ‘the community and cultural life of the city’, the pageant was also a chance to draw attention to its work and plight. As a section of the pageant book titled ‘The Plymouth Council of Social Service, What it is, What it does and What it needs’ explained, they needed both more workers and more money ‘badly, very badly’.18

Certainly, the early 1950s was an intense period of transition for the city, where such a spirit was desirable. Per head of population and per acre Plymouth had been the worst bombed city in Britain during the Second World War. Bringing in the noted planner Patrick Abercrombie, however, a ‘spirit of optimism drove the local authority and the local population’ to rise from the ashes.19 Less than ten years after the end of the war the city centre had been transformed through the use of modernist concrete and, to outsiders, ‘looked very state of the art, with Royal Parade a bright, broad new boulevard that had no equal anywhere in England.’20 As Gill stated in the pageant book:

Ten years ago Plymouth was in ruins. Today a new city is rising, setting the pace in all England for the blitzed cities, pioneering in planning, in the application of new legislation, and in the physical business of laying out new streets, building great stores, and developing previously unknown industries on a scale unmatched throughout Britain.21

As was usual, it was the triumphant past that would continue to inform the way forward; as Gill stated, ‘The navigator must know his point of departure before crossing the ocean, and draw from his past knowledge to meet the problems of the future.’22 The pageant, in a sense, was an attempt to celebrate these achievements and extend a similar spirit into the future—an interesting use of the past alongside the modernist promises of architecture and urban planning.23

The spread of the pageant narrative was impressive, covering 3150 years of history, across twelve scenes. In the production notes the two themes for the pageant were clear and simple:

One is the development of the great naval port from a fishing village. The other is the determination throughout the years that Plymouth, if it is to pay the price of being a great port, is nevertheless determined to rebuild and go on.24

As Gill argued in his historical overview in the pageant book, ‘…without thinking of it, Plymouth has been through all this before. The town was burnt by the Bretons, and patiently we set about to restore it. The Civil War came and left it battered and near ruin, and steadfastly we went about building things up again.’ Recovering from the devastation of the Blitz was simply a problem that ‘had been faced before and could be solved again.’25

To display the development into a naval base and port, Episode II, set in 1355, showed the Black Prince extolling the virtues of Plymouth as a port and naval base as he went off to war; Episode VI, in 1531, showed the return of the voyager William Hawkins and the importance of New World trade to the city at that time; Episode VII, 1588, showed the famous Game of Bowls incident involving Sir Francis Drake and the importance of Plymouth to the defeat of the Spanish Armada; Episode VIII, 1620, showed the departure of the Mayflower to the Americas, and thus connected Plymouth to the establishment of the New World; Episode X, 1690, showed King William III establishing the dockyard; and Episode XI, 1815, showed Napoleon aboard HMS Bellerophon off the coast. Underlining the theme of survival against adversity, in Episode III, 1403, the inhabitants of the town were shown rallying against a devastating French raid, when the town was burned to the ground; in Episode VII, 1588, the Spanish Armada was defeated, linking Plymouth to ‘a great day for England’; and, in Episode IX, 1643, the town valiantly defended itself during an intense Civil War siege. This spirit of survival and defiance was, predictably, most evident in the Epilogue, which depicted the horrific Blitz. After several characters in 1941 expressed their doubt that they could endure much more, one plucky local made an emotional speech:

Plymouth has been here a tidy long time and it’s never given in yet. It goes on. It doesn’t stop fighting. We’ve had it all. We fought the French, and the Spanish, and they tried to burn us out and shoot us up, and we went on, and fought ‘em off, and we won. And then we went and built up what had been knocked down. See. We won. We won because we wouldn’t give in. We stuck it, and we’ll stick it now, and one day down there we’ll build Plymouth up again, better than it ever was.

At this point the characters from the past scenes rushed in, shouting slogans such as ‘Never Give in’, ‘Fight on’, ‘Plymouth Goes on’, and ‘You must rebuild’, and so connecting the spirit of the past with the problems of the present.26 Ending the pageant, and thus returning to the commemorative aspect of the celebration, was a speech by Elizabeth II from 1949, when she was still a princess, and had visited to see the start of the rebuilding of St Andrew’s Church.27 She called attention to the ‘the date long ago when the British Fleet sailed forth to establish the sea power in which Britain has since rejoiced’ and how, ever since, ‘Plymouth has had a special place in the hearts of Englishmen, because it has symbolised the strength of the British Navy, and the qualities of courage, calmness and adventure which have made our country what it is.’ In the present, ‘The faith and spirit of the city could not be shaken by terror from the air any more than by the sight of Spanish sails in the Channel.’28

Press coverage from the Western Morning News was mostly positive, declaring that ‘For sheer colour and spectacle alone, this is a Pageant to see’, but also noting that, at times, the stage seemed remarkably empty of performers, as well as criticising the repetitive nature of two of the battle scenes.29 Coming in for particular praise was the modern narrator, played by Alan Gibson, a journalist, writer and radio broadcaster better known latterly for his work in connection with cricket. As the Western Morning News reported, he prevented ‘a divorce between the spectacle and the historical information’ presented by interpreting the literal and symbolic importance of the episodes.30 A short telegram, sent from the Queen’s Private Secretary and printed in the Western Morning News, of course also praised the pageant: ‘The Queen sincerely thanks the cast and production teams of the floodlight Pageant of Plymouth Hoe for their loyal greetings and assurances which her Majesty much appreciates.’31

The pageant book or souvenir contained an in-depth history of the town written by Crispin Gill. It proved popular with schools, many of which purchased it in bulk.32 At least 12000 copies were sold before the end of the pageant run (out of 20000 sold).33 While the book was likely successful, the organisers perhaps overestimated the pull the actual pageant would have, erecting a large grandstand for 6000, brought down from London where it had been used for the route of the Coronation procession. At first the attendances were far less than expected. For the second performance the grandstand was only around half full—‘disappointing in view of the entertainment value for money’, according to the Western Morning News.34 The lowest performance was the third, on the Tuesday, when only 2575 braved the poor weather to journey up to the Royal Citadel.35 After this, however, the attendance improved markedly, with the final Friday and Saturday performances pulling in 4261 and 4169 respectively.36 All in all 21372 paid to see the pageant—not as high as hoped at only around half capacity, but by no means a total disaster.37 Inevitably, though, the event did make a small loss—covered by the city council.38

While not overly successful in either a financial sense or in the amount of people who saw the pageant, the organisers were nonetheless pleased with the spirit of cooperation that had been fostered. C.P. Brown, following the final performance, announced to the audience that there had been two ‘outstanding features’ that called for ‘special comment’:

The first is that this performance has been staged throughout by volunteers, and the second that it is a remarkable example of voluntary organisation and individuals representing every section of the community in the city joining in the closest co-operation with the three Services… I believe we have shown that the spirit which has made Plymouth great throughout its long history still lives among us.39

In their annual report for the year the Council declared that it had been ‘probably one of the greatest community efforts ever organised in the City’ and ‘a striking example of all that the CSS stands for, the bringing together of men and women voluntarily in order that they might work together for the good of this City, and in so doing find happiness for themselves.’40

The Pageant of Plymouth Hoe is interesting for several reasons. Firstly, as an example of how a very traditional or typical pageantry notion of history could be used in a context that was decidedly ‘modern’ and forward thinking: the modernist rebuilding of the city following the bombing of World War II. Secondly, it shows that, despite the rise of the central state, local voluntary associations, like the Plymouth Council of Social Service, could still play an active role in the life of the city. Finally, it shows the enduring spirit of the traditional form of pageantry. While the pageant may have used modern methods of lighting and amplification, it was still an almost entirely amateur production; properties were made in the locality, and performances took place outside. Though only a minor success, the Pageant of Plymouth Hoe is evidence that the pageantry movement was still alive in war-ravaged-but-recovering 1950s Britain.

Footnotes

  1. ^ ‘400 Dancers at Pageant Ball’, Western Morning News, 30 July, 1953, 5.
  2. ^ ‘3,500 See Pageant’s First Night’, The Western Morning News, 20 July 1953, 5.
  3. ^ ‘Queen’s Thanks to Pageant Members’, The Western Morning News, 21 July 1953, 5.
  4. ^ ‘First Rain Fails to Stop Pageant’, Western Morning News, 22 July 1953, 3.
  5. ^ ‘Us Marine Corps Party Sees Hoe Pageant’, Western Morning News, 23 July 1953, 5.
  6. ^ ‘Pageant Stirs Hearts of Old Contemptibles’, Western Morning News, 24 July 1953, 5.
  7. ^ ‘Pageant Audiences Grow Bigger Each Night’, Western Morning News, 25 July 1953, 5.
  8. ^ ‘Dazzled Pageant Driver Heads for Spectators’, Western Morning News, 27 July 1953, 3.
  9. ^ Ibid.
  10. ^ ‘Royal Citadel “Theatre” Ready for Pageant’, Western Morning News, 15 July, 3.
  11. ^ The Victory Pageant was originally planned to raise money for the restoration and modernisation of the local Prince of Wales Hospital—a ‘beautiful, but practical’ war memorial. It was cancelled when it became apparent that the foundation of the National Health Service meant that charitable support was no longer needed. See Tom Hulme, 18 August 2014, ‘A Failed Victory Pageant? Blame the NHS!’ The Redress of the Past: Historical Pageants in Britain, accessed 18 August 2015, http://www.historicalpageants.ac.uk/blog/failed-victory-pageant-blame-nhs/.
  12. ^ ‘400 Dancers at Pageant Ball’, Western Morning News, 30 July, 1953, 5.
  13. ^ The Pageant of Plymouth Hoe (Plymouth, 1953), 28.
  14. ^ Ibid., 28.
  15. ^ ‘Pageant Stirs Hearts of Old Contemptibles’, Western Morning News, 24 July 1953, 5.
  16. ^ ‘Dazzled Pageant Driver Heads for Spectators’, Western Morning News, 27 July 1953, 3.
  17. ^ ‘The Plymouth Council of Social Service, What it is, What it does and What it needs’ in The Pageant of Plymouth Hoe, 61.
  18. ^ Ibid., 61.
  19. ^ Chris Robinson, Plymouth in the Forties and Fifties (Plymouth, 2011), 5. See also Pat Twyford, It Came to Our Door (Plymouth, 1945).
  20. ^ Robinson, Plymouth in the Forties and Fifties, 60.
  21. ^ Crispin Gill, ‘The Story of the Pageant’ in The Pageant of Plymouth Hoe, 7.
  22. ^ Ibid., 7.
  23. ^ F. Mort, ‘Fantasies of Metropolitan Life: Planning London in the 1940s’, Journal of British Studies 43 (2004), 120-151.
  24. ^ ‘Pageant of Plymouth’ in Notes and Transcript of ‘The Pageant of Plymouth Hoe’. 439/38/1.
  25. ^ Gill, ‘The Story of the Pageant’, 59.
  26. ^ Notes and Transcript of ‘The Pageant of Plymouth Hoe’, 13/3-13/4.
  27. ^ Being a Coronation pageant, Royals also figured (Edward, the Black Prince; Catherine of Aragon; King William III) though perhaps not to the extent expected.
  28. ^ Notes and Transcript of ‘The Pageant of Plymouth Hoe’, 13/5.
  29. ^ ‘Queen’s Thanks to Pageant Members’, The Western Morning News, 21 July 1953, 5; ‘3,500 See Pageant’s First Night’, The Western Morning News, 20 July 1953, 5.
  30. ^ ‘3,500 See Pageant’s First Night’, 5.
  31. ^ ‘Queen’s Thanks to Pageant Members’, 5.
  32. ^ ’10,000 Tickets Sold for Pageant’, Western Morning News, 7 July 1953, 3.
  33. ^ ‘Pageant Audiences Grow Bigger Each Night’, Western Morning News, 25 July 1953, 5.
  34. ^ ‘Queen’s Thanks to Pageant Members’, 5.
  35. ^ ‘First Rain Fails to Stop Pageant’, Western Morning News, 22 July 1953, 3.
  36. ^ ‘Pageant Audiences Grow Bigger Each Night’, 5; ‘Dazzled Pageant Driver Heads for Spectators’, 3.
  37. ^ Ibid., 3.
  38. ^ ‘400 Dancers at Pageant Ball’, 5.
  39. ^ ‘Dazzled Pageant Driver Heads for Spectators’, 3.
  40. ^ Plymouth Council of Social Service, Annual Report 1952-1953 (Plymouth, 1954), 8.

How to cite this entry

Angela Bartie, Linda Fleming, Mark Freeman, Tom Hulme, Alex Hutton, Paul Readman, ‘The Pageant of Plymouth Hoe’, The Redress of the Past, http://www.historicalpageants.ac.uk/pageants/1165/