VCH Explore

Explore England's Past

Social Life and Entertainment

A crush of pleasure boats at the 1896 Henley Regatta

English communities have always enjoyed a rich social life. Music and drama play an important part in people's lives. As well as the well known local events like the Helston Furry Dance in Cornwall, many communities had their own traditions of dances, sports, maypoles, and mumming.

Medieval social life revolved around church festivals, including church ales, sports and liturgical drama. Mystery plays from York, Chester and Coventry survive but many parishes had a hell's mouth or other props for similar dramas. By the 17th century secular entertainment was found in alehouses and at fairs with plays and puppet shows as well as travelling minstrels who visited country houses at Christmas. Rural parishes marked Gunpowder Plot and Oak Apple Day, military victories and other national events. London and other larger towns began to develop public theatres.

By the later 18th century there were many public performances of music and plays and assembly rooms for dancing. Showmen provided animals, acrobats and freaks for mass entertainment and the travelling circus became an important social event. The 19th century saw the extension of commercial entertainment from readings to melodramas and from oratorios to musical halls. Churches and chapels had halls and choirs and public houses had skittle alleys, pianos and clubrooms. New larger theatres were built such as the Empire at Sunderland. The turn of the century brought film shows.

In the 20th century the cinema was one of the most popular forms of public entertainment and theatres turned into cinemas later closing altogether as radio and television kept people at home but some like the Woolstore at Codford survived. Local carnivals such as those in Somerset, were based on 5 November celebrations or like the St Paul's Carnival, Bristol were organised by new communities. Pageants and festivals of music and the arts were popular as were traditional and modern sporting events from pancake tossing to marathons.

Theme Items

Maisemore in the 19th century press

Volunteers supporting the editorial work on Maisemore for VCH Gloucestershire Volume 13

The Anvil, Basingstoke

The Anvil concert hall has firmly established itself as one of the South’s leading venues with acoustics which are among the finest in the country.

Robbins' Reminiscences - Transcription of a notebook about life in Launceston in the early nineteenth century.

Richard Robbins was a bootmaker, who played an active role in Launceston during the course of the century.  One of his sons, Sir Alfred Robbins, a

Betrothals in Somerset

Betrothal is just part of the modern wedding ceremony but in the medieval and later periods it was a separate social and legal contract.

Thornycroft in Basingstoke

Thornycroft, the commercial vehicle manufacturer, was the biggest employer in Basingstoke for much of the 20th century.

Faith and Fun: Free Church Sponsored Social Activities in Edwardian Basingstoke - 1903

Although the primary concern of churches has always been the spiritual wellbeing of their congregations, many have also contributed to the social l

Faith and Fun: Free Church Sponsored Social Activities in Edwardian Basingstoke - 1903

Although the primary concern of churches has always been the spiritual wellbeing of their congregations, many have also contributed to the social l

The Men’s Own Brotherhood Movement in Basingstoke: 1899-1929

For 30 years a Pleasant Sunday Afternoon (hereafter P.S.A.) Society, also known as the Men’s Own Brotherhood, was attached to London Street Congreg

Working Men's Mission Hall, Basingstoke 1905-28

From its opening in February 1905 until its transfer to the Methodists in 1928, the Working Men’s Mission Hall in George Street, Basingstoke, serve

Dummer Water Supply

Dummer village benefitted from a clean and reliable water supply due to its location on chalk with clear springs and also from the generosity and i

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