How a curious tradition of pub carols singing survives in one Yorkshire village

In Ecclesfield, with changes on the high street meaning two pubs are now unable to host them, singers have been instead moved to a third at The Greyhound.

Jeremy Blundell is from the Ecclesfield singers. What it means, he said, is the survival of something that has been cherished for so long.

"It's a living tradition," he said. "Although we are singing stuff that goes back to the 1600s or so. We have people singing their hearts out and others just nodding along."

The South Yorkshire Carols have been sung in Ecclesfield pubs for more than 70 years, and in chapels, pits, streets and homes for even longer. The origins of the practice date back to Victorian times, when keen parsons replaced church bands with an organ. Popular carols, written by local people, found a new home in the pub.

Once this would have been common across the nation, but curiously this part of Yorkshire is where it has survived, and now several villages have similar traditions.

In Ecclesfield, each Thursday night from Armistice Sunday, members gather to rehearse. The words of one carol might be sung to the tune of another. Some use their own special words. And while some pubs might have a pianist, in Ecclesfield it can be chaotic. Here, it revels in "solid Yorkshire anarchy".

"It might sound fairly raucous," said Mr Blundell. "But if you're in the middle of it all, with the songs coming at you from every side, it's extraordinary and invigorating. It makes my Christmas."

There's a Top Table, which for many years was led by Ike Baxter, then his son-in-law Des. So packed would it have been that beer glasses were passed on trays overhead.

The tradition was brought to greater attention some years ago with the work of eminent folklorist Prof Ian Russell, who began the Festival of Village Carols.

Today each village has its own unique songs, variations and styles, as well as having several local carols in common, explained member David Robinson.

"If you think carols are sweet songs sung by choirs then you’ll be amazed to hear these sturdy old tunes sung at full volume in a pub," he added. "These carols are in my DNA: my parents – and their parents – grew up with them. We sang them in the family and in church before I was old enough to join in the pub sings."

The Bowdens, John and Vic, also tried to sum up what it means to them. There's heritage, and community, and "wonderful" words and tunes. And to Gill Hughes, the tradition has been a part of her life for almost 40 years. "It's a shared joy of singing," she said. "It's uplifting and food for the soul."