A quiet corner of a quiet English village

Today we come from farm and fell
Wild flowers and rushes green we twine
We sing the hymn we love so well
And worship at St Oswald’s shrine.

Rushbearing in the village of Grasmere in the Lake District

So begins the rushbearing hymn, sung each year in the Lake District of Grasmere as part of the rushbearing festival. Grasmere is famous for the tomb of William Wordsworth (and wife, Mary) in the graveyard of St Oswald’s Church. It is visited by thousands each year. The village is also famous for its gingerbread – a traditional delicacy. Grasmere probably needs neither Wordsworth’s tomb nor the gingerbread; it is a picturesque English village set in the heart of the Lake District but these ‘attractions’ have ensured the village is almost completely devoted to tourism. But there is ‘real life’ here too and a thriving church which, like many English churches, has some unusual traditions. Rushbearing occurs every year in July and has certainly taken place for at least 400 years. It originated when the church floor was just plain earth, strewn with rushes. Each year the re-covering of the floor was marked with festivities. The floor has long been converted to slate and wood but the tradition fortunately continues. Children and adults parade through the streets carrying rushes and other flowers. They stop halfway at the village green to sing a hymn and then continue to St Oswald’s for a service. And after the service there is tea in the churchyard – including, of course, gingerbread.

It’s a tradition which isn’t promoted as a tourist attraction so those who stumble across it (this year it was held on July 24th) are pleasantly surprised by this delightful custom. Long may it continue.

Recent Posts on Notebook - A selection of Independent views -

• Caught & Social: Stars hungry for more after the Bafta hors d’oeuvres
• Time for a reality check on the Sri Lankan civil war
• Children Of Alcoholics week: One million children may just be the tip of the iceberg
• Today from i: Have a heart
• Top of the posts