Green Fingers Club - "The Bold Greenfingers Men"
This is a collection of material gathered from a variety of sources about the club, its members and activities
Contributors: (so far) David Barnikel , Ray West, Sheila & Denis Bullock.
If you have any information please email
The "Club" was founded in 1963 by a group of " village spirits" to quote John Eastwood's book about Burton Bradstock. The members about a score in total were all connected in some way with the soil or fishing and who " sprang from the real grass roots of the village, rather than from the well-intentioned efforts of the newcomers". Their meeting place was the Dove Inn in Southover and traditionally they drank the rough local cider and played the occasional game of skittles and darts and held raffles, donating the profits to the Lifeboat fund keeping some to help pay for their two annual events. Once a year, they invited their wives and friends to their " Winter Supper" and the evening always ended with song and dance. The other yearly event was the Veast or Feast and over the years it became tradition to dress up in "weird and wonderful headgear, top hats, Indian Bonnets, hunting hats, female wigs sou'westers and bowlers". Dicker Thorner, the President would lead the way from the Dove to the"Lookout" at the top of Cliff Road accompanied by the nine-gallon cask of cider on a wheelbarrow with bread and Blue Vinny cheese, onions, pork and beef all led by the band that consisted of a kilted piper, John Eastwood, a small kilted drummer (his son) Dennis Bullock on the big drum and an assorted instrumentalists. On arrival at the top of the road and overlooking the sea the merriment starts with the Rector saying grace and the consumption of the cider soon starts off the singing of traditional and familiar songs. As the moon rises and the cider all gone the piper plays a last lament and the all march to the Dove to continue the drinking and a good time is had by all.
(Extracts from John Eastwood's " The Burton Bradstock Book" published in 1972).
Fisherman's tales from yesteryear
Greenfingers Carnival Float - collection of photographs
Greenfingers video compilations
| click on photos for an enlagement | |
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Leaving the Dove Inn |
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Marching past the Smythy |
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Marching up Cliff Road |
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At the top of Cliff Road |
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Pouring the cider |
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Dennis Bullock & Louis Brown |
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Young men of Burton from left to right, Unknown, Dennis Bullock, Andrew Bullock, Geoff Norris, Paul Gape, Morris Youngs, Martin Baxtor, John Heal, Wolly Blackmore, Bertie Williams and Peter Alott. (names supplied by Stephanie Gape) |
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Greenfingers Club on clifftop at the Lookout |
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Some of the originals..
L to R - Wilf Edwards- Desi Gape - Ralph Ackerman - Teddie Young - David Barnikel |
The following material comes from a presentation to the Weymouth Lifeboat in the Dove Inn sometime in the 1960's
David Barnikel
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Poem spoken by Douglas Northover This short film may take some time to load |
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Click here for Ralph Ackerman's sound clip on his joining the Greenfingers | ||
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