Making Mischief Oral History Project, 'Whitelands College May Queen' full

London College of Fashion

Whitelands College (now part of University of Roehampton) has an archive of May Monarch robes that date back to the 1870s. The first ceremonies were sponsored by John Ruskin, the writer and polymath, who commissioned the children’s book illustrator Kate Greenaway to design the first robe. Each year Whitelands elects a May Queen (or since 1986 King) who wears a specially designed robe. The monarch leads a May Day ceremony and is invested by a bishop. These days there's a procession led by Morris dancers and a service, and previous May Monarchs are invited back and wear their costumes. Gilly and Gemma are the College archivists and have both been involved in organising the ceremony.