Eccentric look at Britain captures mood of national pride

When it came to the timing of her new book, Jane Peyton probably couldn’t have asked for better.

Thanks to Danny Boyle, whose opening ceremony for the London 2012 was a showcase for home-grown eccentricity, Peyton is hoping her bible to the country’s customs, from the quaint to the downright odd, will ride the wave of pride which followed Team GB’s medal haul.

While originally from Yorkshire – Peyton grew up near Skipton – she now lives in London and throughout the Games was there to witness the unexpected outpouring of national pride.

“I was riding around with Union Jacks on my bike and it was astonishing to see what happened,” she says. “I couldn’t help but think when I saw the opening ceremony that Danny Boyle and I must share the same view of the world, albeit one that is slightly skewed.

“I think it made people realise just how much we have achieved. I wouldn’t want to live in a country which shouted about its successes all the time, but every so often I think it’s good for all us to celebrate the things that make this country distinct from everywhere else in the world.”

Which is exactly what Peyton hoped to do when she began researching her book, aptly titled Brilliant Britain.

The entries had to meet certain strict criteria. Firstly they had to be unique to Britain and secondly the customs, how ever ancient in their roots, had to still be going on today.

“Pantomime is obviously quintessentially British, but it’s also being exported to Australia so that had to go,” she says.

“I didn’t want it to be a history book, I wanted people to be able to read about say a worm charming championship or an annual bog snorkelling competition and be able to go to see it for themselves.”

The book includes some usual suspects like the Gloucestershire cheese rolling event and surfing along the Severn Tidal Bore, but it’s also a tribute to some lesser known customs – not many are likely to have had a seat at Derbyshire’s World Hen Racing Championships.

While time prevented Jane from seeing some of the events first hand, she did attend the Dunmow Flitch Trial which takes place each leap year in the Essex market town.

“Basically five couples go before a judge and jury and have to prove they still love each other,” she says. “They are cross-examined by defence and prosecution barristers, the latter of which is representing the flitch, which is a side of bacon.

“If they convince the jury, they get the bacon, if they don’t they get a small piece of ham. How wonderfully bonkers is that.

“The custom was mentioned in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales so it’s not some modern invention masquerading as history and it attracts people from all over the world - when I was there an American couple won and they were then carried around the town by medieval yokels.

“I was almost tempted to enter myself, there was only one stumbling block – the fact I’m not married.”

Given her roots, Yorkshire gets a number of mentions in the book. Both Bainbridge and Ripon are praised for their love of horn blowing. In Bainbridge one is blown every night at 10pm outside the Rose and Crown Hotel from the end of September to Shrove Tuesday. No one knows why, but still the tradition continues.

Meanwhile in Ripon the sound of a cow horn can be heard at 9pm each night, a nod to when they still had night watchmen in the town.

“I love the fact that given any opportunity people will embrace these often ridiculous customs. I spent some time living in Los Angeles where I often saw signs that proudly proclaimed businesses as being ‘Established since 1973’. When I was away I started thinking of all the wonderfully batty events that happened around the country and realised if a Hollywood film were ever made about them no one outside the British Isles would believe it was true.”

Jane’s book captures something of the spirit of London 2012, but will our sense of national pride have fizzled out before autumn arrives?

“I seriously hope not,” she says. “In the last few weeks I have experienced a real sense of euphoria and that’s quite a potent thing. Now it’s up to each an everyone of us to keep that spirit of optimism alive and tell those that sneer that cynicism has finally gone out of fashion.”

Brilliant Britain by Jayne Peyton is published by Summersdale, priced £9.99. To order through the Yorkshire Post Bookshop call 01748 821122.