Ironmen Severn Gilders Morris Annual dancing on The Ironbridge Boxing Day 2024

Annual Boxing Day dance on the Ironbridge.
We Wish You a Merry Christmas (Vocals) by Jingle Punks YouTube Audio Library

From Ironmen & Severn Gilders web page
The Ironmen & Severn Gilders come from Ironbridge in Shropshire, England.
We are a joint team that perform two distinct traditions of dancing and some joint dances just to show that we can!
The Ironmen are one of the original 'revival' Border morris teams. Border Morris is a traditional style that originates along the English/Welsh border (Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire) and involves lots of noise, stick clashing and energy.
Faces are disguised in the Ironmen's case with a mixture of black and red to echo the kit, which reminds us that the early border dancing was basically begging when work was scarce, or busking as we have it today.

The ladies team, The Severn Gilders, were named after the female workers at the Coalport China Factory [Coalport is just downstream from Ironbridge] - the Gilders - who put the gold decoration on the porcelain.

For both teams the kit colours of red and black are a tribute to the Ironbridge Gorge, the real birthplace of the industrial revolution, where the cokefires from the iron works coloured the sky. The yellow highlights hint at the gold on the Coalport ceramics.
Both border and North West morris are often accompanied by a lively band. IMSG are no different having, when everyone is available, one of the most distinctive morris band sounds in the country!