This film is part of Free

Ashford Carnival and Shopping Week

Ashford crowns its Carnival Queen in this film from 1949. With Her Highness are the handmaids, the Mayor and the official Jester, who we later see sitting in a pram at the Baby Show!

Amateur film 1949 9 mins Silent

From the collection of:

Logo for Screen Archive South East

Overview

This amusing film starts off outside Ashford's Corn Exchange. As this is a civic occasion the town clerk, in the wig, announces the election of the May Queen, who arrives with her handmaidens followed by the Lord Mayor, to be crowned, applauded and photographed. Garlands are given to each handmaid and a court jester appears onstage doing silly things. We're next at a Baby Show, with babies, their mothers and a man, in nurse’s uniform, pushing a pram containing the jester.