| Where: | London at Westminster School in Little Dean's Yard |
| When: | Shrove Tuesday |
| Time: | Morning |
The ancient annual Pancake Greaze on Shrove Tuesday is included on the site because it’s well-known and has an interesting history dating back to at least the eighteenth century. It’s a competition between the pupils to see who can claim the largest portion of an enormous pancake tossed over the Greaze Bar in the school hall (a metal bar about 15 feet up across the hall). The school chef tosses the pancake, representatives from each House end up in a pile on the floor and the winner receives a sovereign (or alternative cash reward) in return for his portion. Following the Greaze, the Head always requests the Dean to grant a holiday for the rest of the day but this doesn’t always happen.
Helpful Hints
This is a school event and is not open to the general public, so don’t turn up expecting to be let in!
In 2025 Shrove Tuesday will be on Tuesday 4th March.
Click here for the school’s website : http://www.westminster.org.uk
Photo by klndonnelly.
View this location on the map.
A welcome break from the ordered curriculum in the 70’s; the grand entrance of the chef, white hat, white uniform, bearing a large frying pan holding the sacred pancake (reinforced with horse hair from the College Hall kitchens) , the head master in his fetching red robes and white ruffed collar, leading the rabble of contestants who were free, even encouraged, to wear the most outlandish costumes they could muster. The outlandish crocodile was greeted with raucous applause from all the schools students who were able to participate in what was a well ordered spirit of anarchy. Whoever managed to grab the largest portion of pancake had to give it back immediately, I never saw a sovereign, ( nor did the winner, 3d silver Maundsy money from her madge was all they got; and if the Headmaster asked the Dean for a day off, in the four years I was there, the request was always refused. The Grease may appear pointless today but the lesson is that all life, whatever costume we may choose, is a no holds barred fight for a finite resource, the rewards of which must be surrendered to the State who will reward us for our services, As a celebration, nobody gets a day off, particularly the chef who has to go and butcher the horse who provided the hair, to feed those unfortunate enough not to return home daily on London Transport.
Many thanks Roderick for that fascinating insight!
Best wishes,
Averil
This also happens at the Shawnigan Lake School in BC. The school’s founder based much of this school on The Westminster School and this tradition tradition was one of the things that were honoured.