South Gower, Mummers Play

The Gower Christmas Sport, Gower Tues 23rd December

Well that’s it for now, we can put our feet up, temporarily, and enjoy Christmas! Last night we visited five pubs in southern Gower, performing the old Gower Mummers Play also known as the Christmas Sport. We started at the Beaufort at Kittle before moving on to the Valley Hotel and Joiners Arms nearby. The Gower Inn followed and the King Arthur provided a great crowded, cosy place to conclude the tour. 

Highlight of the evening had to be where the Valiant Knight was just about to enter the crowded bar of the King Arthur and realised he had left his sword in the car park outside! This left the Narrator and Mother Christmas having to fill in an awkward silence with some comic banter! Valiant Knight was more than a little breathless when he swiftly returned, sword in hand and King George had no trouble dispatching him, but then again he had been doing that all evening with consummate ease!

Our performances concluded with our Mummers Song and Christmas tunes expertly played by Sian Musgrave and Keith.

We would like to thank all the landlords/ladies for allowing us to perform this old Gower Christmas custom in their pubs. Believe it or not, the Gower Mummers Play has been performed for nearly 200 years with several Gower villages having their own version of it.

We also thank all the people who generously donated the sum of £274 to our charity buckets. All the money we collect, when performing the Play, is donated to Maggies Swansea Cancer Charity.

The Cast: The Narrator Nigel Haworth, Old Mother Christmas Alison Haworth, Valiant Knight Geoff Wildman, King George Paul Tarrant, Ten Pound Doctor, Keith Lascelles

The photos were taken by Sian.