Whitethorn Morris Dance At The Case Is Altered Pub In 1980

A Memory of Eastcote.

In the 1980's and 1990's morris dancers and their musicians often entertained at weekends in the pub garden at the front of "The Case is Altered". The Whitethorn Morris dancers and their Whitethorn Band performed at this popular venue on summer Saturdays many times. Passers-by would stop and join the pub regulars to form a large crowd to stand and watch.

It was great fun and I can remember much of this quite clearly as I was the band leader at the time with my Hohner piano accordian.  One Saturday lunchtime, an old gent - probably in his eighties - persuaded his family to carry his double bass from his home nearby so that he could join in with our band in the pub garden!  

I sometimes wonder what my music teacher Mr Stoupe at nearby Pinner Grammar School would have made of it as he didn't want me to do music O Level in school back in 1959!  Whilst playing my accordian (and drinking beer) I would look out of the pub garden over the road into Cheney Fields and remember the Pinner Grammar School cross country runs alongside the stream ( River Pinn ! ) opposite.

Back in my 1956 to 1963 schooldays I would never have imagined that all these years later I would be playing music for dancing and drinking beer from my pewter tankard where once I had puffed and panted round a cross country course!