In Victorian Lancashire, the local tradition of celebrating with a fair at Rivington Pike took place not at Easter, but Whitsun. Whitsun is a Christian festival which takes place the seventh Sunday after Easter Sunday. Whit Monday remained a holiday in Britain until 1972, when it was replaced with the Spring Bank Holiday on the last Monday in May.
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| Similar frivolities can be seen in this illustration titled Easter Monday in Greenwich Park by George Cruikshank |
From the 1830s, local newspapers described scenes of cartloads of pleasure seekers making their way to the long curving road at the base of the Pike on Whitsun Saturday. It quickly grew to a fair with thousands of (often) young working class people intent on making merry. You could find stalls selling snacks such as nuts and gingerbread, and tents selling ales and spirits. There was plenty of entertainment too; ballad singers, bands playing fiddles and hurdy gurdys, dancing, as well as hill rolling, and illicit gambling booths. Some newspapers even mention 'Sabbath orgies'. For a time there were also religious festivities happening, praying and hymns, and travelling preachers in attendance.
Many Lancashire mills and factories would close for Whitsuntide week (the week following the Sunday) in order to clean and maintain machinery. I'm sure many of us know the feeling of excitement and hedonism upon finishing work for a week's holiday, and I imagine this feeling contributed towards the event's popularity. By 1862, it had become quite the booze up; so much so that there was a temperance demonstration held.
The landowner John W Crompton of Rivington Hall described it in 1866 as a 'drunken riot' which 'has been a disgrace to this locality for many years'. He declared that he wanted the public's use of his land to be able to continue, and asked local gentlemen for their opinions on how to preserve the Pike as a place of 'innocent recreation'.
The landowner John W Crompton of Rivington Hall described it in 1866 as a 'drunken riot' which 'has been a disgrace to this locality for many years'. He declared that he wanted the public's use of his land to be able to continue, and asked local gentlemen for their opinions on how to preserve the Pike as a place of 'innocent recreation'.
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| Wigan Observer 19 May 1866 |
In the days leading up to Whitsun, Crompton placed adverts in local newspapers as a warning to those selling alcohol without a license. This seems to have done the trick, as for the remainder of the decade the local press took to reporting on the illegal gambling that was taking place, instead of reports of drunken brawls and dodgy measures.
By 1875 Rivington Pike Fairs were becoming a thing of the past. It was rumoured that Crompton, who also owned most of the surrounding area, was considering doing away with the license for the Sportsman's Arms, the pub at the foot of the hill, and changing it into a 'British Workman', an alcohol free public house.
The next year, the Sportsman's Arms' spirit license was transferred to the Bridge Inn in Horwich, which was ran by the same landlord. This combined with a rise in popularity of seaside resorts such as Blackpool and Southport led to the demise of the Whit Saturday festivities. The Pike still remained a popular leisure activity, but attracted a different crowd, who came for the fresh air and famed views.
Around 1900, the Pike Fair recommenced on Good Friday, a date on which it still occurs to this date.