Poster for 'Wakes Week', Newcastle-under-Lyme

Description:'Wakes Week' was originally a religious celebration that became a secular tradition, especially in northern industrial towns post Industrial Revolution. Factories would close for a week or two and give their workers time off. Schools were closed at the same time. The week would be full of dancing, games and other entertainment such as wheelbarrow and bag racing, leap frog competitions and a 'splendid cavalcade' (a parade through the centre of town). This poster also warns that the Chief Officer of Police could arrest all who refuse to play their part. Unfortunately, as the British manufacturing industry began to decline in the late 20th Century, the tradition was lost.

Some of the games are unfamiliar to a modern audience, so here are some definitions.
'Prison Bars': a game of tag.
'Tip Cat': a game similar to cricket, but with a stick instead of a ball.
'Taws': marbles. The aim was to shoot as many marbles as possible out of a ring.
'Steeple Chasing': horse racing.
'Grin Through a Collar': gurning, attempting to make the worst face possible.
'To eat stir pudding with an awl': eating suet pudding with a fork