Whit Walks

[Elaine168]

Hello

As a young child growing up in the 50s I was involved in the Salford Whit Walks with my Sunday School, St Paul's. We 'walked' on Whit Friday afternoon, down Broad Street to a service in Leaf Square. On Whit Friday morning we went into Manchester to watch the RC churches parade down Deansgate. I can also remember going to Eccles on Whit Monday to watch the Eccles 'scholars' walk, and somewhere on Thursday. All those fantastic colours, brass bands and 'shakers' to wave; fantastic. What I've been trying to work out is how people who lined the streets managed to get days off work to watch. Each of those days could not have been Bank Holidays could they?

Does anybody know how this worked?

Elaine

[PaulineJ]

There's still a huge number of brass band events on Whit Friday.
I can see it being a "traditional" day off for mill workers etc.
Didn't have to be a Bank Holiday as such.

[Barbara.H]

Good question! My mum used to take me into Manchester centre to watch one or other of the walks (I think we used to alternate, RC one year and C of E the next) but she didn't work at the time so it wasn't an issue. 

I wonder if they had a half-day closing on Friday to accommodate the big RC walks? A lot of places had an early finish on Friday anyway, so perhaps you took an extra couple of hours and made time up on Staurday?

As for the smaller local walks, perhaps they were timed to coincide with the existing half-day/market day early closing arrangements?

I went to a Methodist Sunday school and I think we had a Sunday Whit walk and also a church anniversary walk on a different Sunday, both round the boundaries of the church district. Got a new dress for the Whit walks from Afflecks and that was my best/party dress for the rest of the year!

  Barbara

[Elaine168]

Thanks Both.

Yes I suppose a traditional day off, or offset against Saturday might be the answer.

We had our walking dresses  made by a local dress maker so that all the Queen's retinue matched, or all the flower basket carriers matched. They were long dresses and my Mum would shorten mine at the end of the walking season for party wear. It was all very posh with bouquets to carry and head dresses. Don't know how my poor Mum afforded it with hindsight.

Elaine

[heatherjulie]

hi
The people of Mossley and Saddleworth still walk on Whit friday. The schools in the area are closed.
Churches in Dukinfield and Hyde walked on Whit Sunday.
The Whit Walks in Manchester took place on Bank Holiday Monday this year.
If you put Mossley whit walks in Google, there are films of last year's walks.

I think that Ashton Whit walks take place next weekend.

Heather

[selwynfroggitt]

We went to see the Whit walks each year in Oldham, I know they came down Yorkshire Street as we always watched from around Frank Brines the butchers.... there were walks on Good Friday and Easter Sunday or Monday , not now sure which way round it was but Protestants walked one day and Catholics the other...the Catholics were more colourful in the 50s as there were Polish , Ukraines and other Europeans in national costume.

[Cancan]

Hi,

Manchester Images website have lots of photo's of the 'Whit Walks' in Manchester and areas local.

http://images.manchester.gov.uk/index.php?session=pass

Just put 'whit walks' in the search box.

Maybe, possibly you may see a familiar face?

Cancan

[Elaine168]

Thanks everyone for your help with this!

Elaine

[LizzieW]

They didn't have Whit Walks where I lived in Cheshire, so we used to go to my gran in Harpurhey and watch the Whit Walks there.  My cousins used to walk as they lived locally and went to Sunday school in the area.  I have a couple of photos of the walks, plus one of me and my cousins all dressed up - as people used to do on Sundays in those days.

Lizzie