History
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This in depth article is kindly supplied The Ryde Social Heritage Group from their newsletter Volume 3, Number 4, October 2008, The Ryde Social Heritage group have a much larger archive of the Ryde Carnival which is available to view during their Heritage Open Days. To read more fascinating history about Ryde or become a member of the group please visit www.rshg.org.uk Some additional text has been taken from our original history page and added, we will also be adding some historically interesting photographs.
Although the first Ryde Carnival was held in 1888, it was mainly as a result of the highly successful and hugely popular event of the previous year, marking the Queen's Jubilee and which she herself attended. The County Press of 30 July 1887 shows that many worries were the same as today: "The weather,though somewhat threatening in the morning,cleared up as the hours advanced"... Some 3000 children were assembled at one o'clock, and each received a Jubilee Medal, a mug, cake and Osborne biscuits. A grandstand to seat 800 was erected in the Esplanade Gardens and a quarter to six the children were gathered there with the dignitaries, ready to greet Her Majesty. (What had occupied them for the previous five hours?0.
The main part of the report, however, is taken up with florid descriptions of the decorations around the town mentioning Union, George, Castle, Dover, Melville, Lind and High Streets, amongst others. "Turning from High Street into Union Street it is quite possible that Her Majesty experienced a surprise aural as well as visual; for, stationed on ledges on either side of the second floor windows of the establishments of Messrs Gibbs and Gurnell, on the east side of Union Street, and of Mr Richard Colenutt, on the west side were Highlanders in full costume, playing on bagpipes patriotic Scotch airs as Her Majesty passed by"...... and the Queen displayed "smiling looks"!!! Crowns, flags and red and green drapery were the order of the day, with many banners displaying mottoes such as "God bless our Queen" and "Victoria, gracious, noblest Queen".
"Festoons of flags" were everywhere and St. Thomas' Square was a "pretty but rather bewildering spectacle", with a ring of masts connected with coloured flags. On the Town Hall, "lines of flags reached from the clock tower to the roof, a crown was placed in the apex of the building, along the balcony were red hangings with yellow fringe and there were several shields and trophies".
At night, the decorations were illuminated, and one which deserves mention is "the front of Mr Gustav Mullin's Royal Photographic Studio, a prominent item here being a splendidly illuminated transparency of the Queen, surmounted by VR and a representation of the Imperial crown in variegated lights".
The evening culminated in a torchlight procession, "headed by the Volunteer band, which was followed by the fire brigade....on a car, bearing torches. Other cars followed bearing. ..Indians, cavaliers, brigands, clowns, generals, Moors, and Turks in motley groups.. ...Until a late hour the streets, were thronged with spectators, who were loud in their expressions of admiration at the brilliancy of the illuminations, which probably transcended anything of the kind that Ryde had seen before".
On page 8 of The Isle of Wight Observer of Saturday, 18 August 1888, appeared a report of the first 'true' carnival. The article began; "Last season the public appreciation of a torchlight procession and masquerade led to the idea suggesting itself to Mr W Gibbs and Mr Gustav Mullin's that the same sort of thing carried out to a fuller extent would please the public still more. They thought, too, that by calling the affair a Carnival they might induce a large number of the general public to join in the fun." The theme was mainly kings and queens of England, although Robin Hood, Red Riding Hood (complete with performing wolf) and twelve ghosts also made an appearance. Once again the Volunteer Band and the Fire Brigade led the way, many of the shops and houses along the route were decorated, and the evening ended with a bal masque at the Town Hall.
In 1889, despite the complaint that many people "did not join in the fun themselves", Queen Victoria, accompanied by Princess Beatrice, saw fit to come to Ryde once again to witness the spectacle. It is reported in the Observer of Saturday, 17 August, that, as the procession was forming in Lind Street, "Her Majesty scanned the grotesque figures which met her gaze with an amused smile"... So she was amused once again!! Even more so when "Captain Conway at the head of his troupe of 12 ghosts (figures all in white, and with white conical caps), proceeded to the top of West Street, and stood in line: as the Royal carriage passed the ghosts gave a very unghostly salute in military style, and both the Queen and the Princess Beatrice seemed very amused at the odd incident".
This year lime lights were used in the procession, which illuminated the costumes to great effect. One of the most admired cars represented Britannia and the four countries - John Bull, Paddy, Sandy and Taffy, and according to the reporter this tableau "took the cake". A car representing 'Asia' followed: "Mr Mullin's, as a "heathen Chinee" would hardly have been recognised by his own mother. Mr Tenison Smith would have made a better Turk if he had had more whiskers. Mr Coles was the model of a Tartar (he is not a tartar in real life, however,)" ........... Characters from children's literature and Shakespeare were also represented this year, as well as Father Christmas "in a perambulator". Once again, the festivities ended with the dance at the Town Hall, which continued until 3am, and which was attended by devils,clowns, bards, knights, hussars, courtiers and many more, the costumes being supplied by Mr Walter Waller, of 84 Tabernacle Street, London, EC, "who charged very reasonable rates and gave general satisfaction".
In 1895, a street collection was held in aid of the Royal Isle of Wight County Hospital, the idea of Mr A W Jackson. The collectors were given "a long canvas tube, with a funnel at one end, (leading to a box), and the whole was fixed to a pole, and painted yellow, with blue bands of ribbon". The sum raised was £18 5s 3d, and "the total weight of the money collected was 59lbs". History does not relate whether any of the collecting boxes broke under the weight!! There is also a report this year of some protestors, taking "stronger measures than usual to display their feelings..... ..A meeting was held just outside the YMCA at the hour the procession was advertised to start, when addresses were given by Rev W Menzies, Mr Knight, (secretary YMCA), Rev W Fuller and Mr Edgar Matthews........One of the speakers (Rev Fuller) in the course of his remarks said he was the father of children himself and he would sooner see them put in the deepest grave ever dug than that they should take part in the procession which had just passed. It was very difficult to hear all that was said, as a number of buglers did all they could to drown the voices of those taking part in the meeting."
The account of this year's Masquerade Ball again makes interesting reading: "Amongst the most original dresses was that of Miss Nora Jesse, who made a very effective "Wasp", presumably without a sting". Others costumes mentioned include: "Mr Haliday, Sir Walter Raleigh; Mr A Barton, Mephistopheles; Mr J Vardy, Dick Turpin; Miss Hounsell, Water Lily; Miss Waller, Lampshade"...... This ball had a better attendance than the previous year, £20 3s being taken at the door.
Other Island towns were soon following in the footsteps of Ryde by holding their own carnivals. Shanklin was active in 1890 and Ventnor in 1891. Regattas took over from carnival for a few years, but things got off with a bang in 1934. A carnival firework display in Simeon Street Recreation ground was watched by an estimated 5000 spectators.
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