| Where: | Great Wishford, Wiltshire -village centre and Oak Apple Field off Station Road & Salisbury Cathedral dance outside North Porch & service inside |
| When: | 29th May |
| Time: | Dawn at Woods (4 am approx); 10am dance at Salisbury Cathedral; Procession 2pm |
The origins of the Grovely Ceremonies at Great Wishford lie in the rights of the villagers to collect wood for fuel from the woods nearby – charters still exist from Elizabethan times which stipulate conditions which must be met in order to keep those rights alive. A group of dancers must go to Salisbury Cathedral and declaim “Grovely ! Grovely! And all Grovely!” and while this originally took place during Whit week , the festivities now occur on May 29th every year which is Oak Apple Day. The day begins with a raucous tin can band to wake everyone up (participated in keenly by the children armed with anything from trumpets to bin lids), followed by a procession into the forest with banners to gather the wood; houses in the village are decorated with bunting and boughs. The group of dancers, in period costume, still perform outside Salisbury Cathedral then lay branches on the altar there in the morning during a very brief service, before returning home for a further procession and traditional village fair. (there fair is sometimes held on the nearest weekend if the Ceremony falls mid week). There’s maypole dancing, stalls, food and entertainment.
Helpful Hints
It’s only 6 miles from Great Wishford to Salisbury (the Park & Ride is very convenient). Look out for the Charter Stone on Station Road at Great Wishford which commemorates the custom – it’s just outside the gateway into Oak Apple Field.
In 2024 the Fair will be held on Saturday 1st June, as the Ceremony falls mid week on the Wednesday.
Click here for the Oak Apple Club Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Wishford-Oak-Apple-Club-199880673356268/
Click here for the village website: http://www.greatwishford.co.uk/
I finally got to see the Wishford Grovely Day yesterday. Well, not all of the day, which I understand begins at 4am with a tin band closely followed by a trip to the woods. I took the easier option of meeting them at Salisbury Cathedral at 10am.
It was great fun. The entire Primary School was there, in 19th century dress – apparently this was the first time they had all visited. Four women wearing an early Victorian costume danced outside the Cathedral, in what we were told were local dances. The Cathedral staff then opened the North door, and everyone processed inside and up to the high altar. They gathered an interested group as they passed along, and the shout of “Grovely, Grovely and all Grovely” was delivered with élan.
I was very impressed with the headmistress for bringing the entire school to join in, but I had been expecting to see more adults behind the banner. Maybe this was just a thin year.
In the afternoon I went to Great Wishford, for the fete. The fair in the afternoon was opened by a procession, with the whole school again, and the Grovely banner, plus some floats.
Salisbury Cathedral is spectacular, and the village is beautiful. This is an interesting event, and the places are fantastic. I would definitely like to go again.