Origin of May Day chairs

  • Jon Drake's grave stone
  • The May Day chairs
Archive Notes:

May day chairs made in 2000 by Paul Beckett - Wheatley Bridge Farm - as a memorial to Jon Drake.

These chairs are used by the King and Queen of the May, at the village May Day celebrations each year.

They were made locally as a memorial to Jon Drake who was the inspiration behind the revival of the May bay celebrations. One of the chairs, given by Jon’s family, carries the inscription, ‘Remember JON DRAKE who revived the MAY DAY celebrations in Wheatley in 1976‘.

The other chair was given by Wheatley Society.

Related Items:
Archive Number: