Stroud Green Day June 17th: Ancient Corporation - election of Mayor, plus Stroud Green Song

A lot of varied activities have been scheduled for 'Stroud Green Day' on Saturday June 17th, which seems to be an initiative from councillor Raj Sahota together with local shops, organisations, etc. Not many people seem to know about this but there will apparently be guided walks, musical events, a couple of street parties, children's stuff, and of course it comes in the week of the Stroud Green Music Festival.

The Stapleton Tavern has contacted me as someone who has researched the true story of the so-called Ancient Corporation of Stroud Green, a drinking and dining club which met at the pub c 1750-1780. Our drinking forbears left behind the beautiful Stroud Green Badge, now in the Victoria and Albert Museum (large photo on the wall of the pub). The pub has now confirmed there will be a new 'election' for the 'Mayor of the Ancient Corporation of Stroud Green' at the pub on the day, following eighteenth century tradition. (The original club apparently held a mock election every year.) This promises to be highly entertaining. The last election was in 2011.

But here's a thing - remarkably on the day there will also be the first singing of the Corporation's original 'Stroud Green Song' in 250 years, at the pub at 2pm. The song was the eighteenth century club's rousing official anthem and drinking song, the words were found in a song book at the Bodleian Library in Oxford a few years ago and with the help of experts from the English Folk Dance and Song Society it has now been set to original music, and it will be sung by the local Stroud Green Festival choir before the 'election'.

What we need now are CANDIDATES for Mayor. Who's up for it? Absolutely no perks or responsibilities, although strong drink and some terrible jokes might be involved.

I'm creating a Facebook page. There you can follow the Ancient Corporation, there are photos of the last election, and I'll try to include information about Stroud Green Day as it becomes available. It's here:

https://www.facebook.com/corporationofstroudgreen/

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