Race a sedan chair and dodge the redcoats

Head to the Georgian market town of Cockermouth, in the Western Lake District, this May Bank holiday and you might find yourself recruited by magnificently attired, Georgian Redcoats as they roam the quaint streets press-ganging ‘volunteers’ into military service!

The 42nd division Foot will be just one part of the evocative, bi-annual Cockermouth Georgian Fair staged between May 2-4, to give visitors a taste of Streetlife circa 1778, when the town was thriving thanks to the wool and weaving trades.

Things kick off on the Friday evening, at the Kirkgate Centre with a History Wardrobe presentation and readings, focusing on how novelist Jane Austen would have dressed for a special occasion.

At 8pm a Georgian Ceilidh follows, with music from the period, tunes from John Playford’s Complete Dancing Master 1760-80 and performances by The Adlington Dance Group, whose dancers appeared in the 1995 BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. A combined ticket for both events costs £8.

On Saturday May 3, Cockermouth’s streets will bustle with entertainers, music and the costumed Redcoats carrying out musket practice. Over 100 musicians and entertainers will provide free fun and games, whilst interactive tours take visitors through the rich heritage of all the nooks and crannies between the Castle and Wordsworth House – the birthplace of William Wordsworth.

At 3pm, a costume parade, open to all, will see participants dressed in the traditional mob caps or black tricorn hats of the period, with men sporting long waistcoats and breeches and women wearing the Georgian-style wide sash around their waist and shawl over the shoulders.

Entries are still being taken for the 3pm famous Sedan Chair races, for teams of five people who are up for potentially winning a prize of Jennings beer – the brewery being located in the town. A £5 race entrance fee applies and costume must be worn!

Elsewhere, those avoiding the Redcoats will learn all about the town’s most famous sons – poet Wordsworth, mutineer Fletcher Christian, scientist John Dalton and astronomer Fearon Fellows, if they hook up with a free guide.

Shops will also be decked out to a Georgian theme, as Cockermouth celebrates Streetlife 1778 – the year nearby Whitehaven survived an attack by Father of the American Navy, John Paul Jones, during the American War of Independence.

A period craft and farmer’s market will add flavour and aromas, with stand-holders dressed in costume and ready to serve up some regional food delights, as well as selling many other items.

Central to the Georgian festivities will be Wordsworth House – restored to its former Georgian glory by careful research, exquisite craftsmanship and a dedication to Georgian methods of decoration and furnishing. This makes each room a true representation of how William would have known it, whilst the garden is also planted as in the Wordsworth family’s time.

William, Dorothy and their brothers were all born and raised here and visitors can tour the house, experiencing the noise, smells and clutter of Wordsworth’s youth, perhaps helping the servants with the daily chores of cleaning, washing and cooking! Entrance to Wordworth House costs £4.90 for an adult, £2.40 for a child and £14.50 for a family.

On Sunday evening, the 6pm evensong in Christchurch will feature Nova Cantica and the Cockermouth Harmonic Society, accompanied by the West Gallery Ensemble, performing hymns from the Georgian period.

Combining the romance of Austen with the military heritage of the Sharpe period dramas, this not-to-be-missed event provides many reasons to weekend in the Western Lake District. Cockermouth has many hotels, restaurants and pubs, as well as craft, curio and antique shops, galleries and four museums. It’s also one of only 51 designated British Gem Towns.

To find out more about the event visit Cockermouth.org.uk. To search for accommodation in Cockermouth, or other parts of the Western Lake District, go to Western-lakedistrict.co.uk.