Sunday 30th August 2015
Sunday dawned grey and overcast, but we were blessed with a dry day and not too hot for the costumes we wore. The theme was the 1960s to 1970s. We chose to recreate The Pickwick Club which was active in Sudbury between 1973 till 1999.
Sudbury was known in the 19th century for its political shenanigans and corrupt elections and so Charles Dickens used Sudbury as the basis for his town ‘Eatanswill’ (eat and swill!) in his novel The Pickwick Papers.
In the early 20th century the Eatanswill Society was set up in Sudbury. Members portrayed characters from The Pickwick Papers. They enjoyed dining and drinking at local hotels and inns but the Society dwindled and was wound up.
About 1973 it was revived as the Pickwick Club and members once again portrayed Pickwickian characters, held mock elections and even published the Eatanswill Gazette. They enjoyed travelling by stagecoach to drink and dine in local hostelries. The Pickwick Club continued for around 25 years with the last dinner being held in 1999.
So, Sudbury’s Pickwick Club of the 1970s is recreated for the 2015 Sudbury Carnival.
There was no stagecoach or dining and drinking but, we hope, plenty of fun.
Below is a list of characters and the novels in which they appear:
| Character | Novel |
|---|---|
| Mr Pickwick | Pickwick Papers |
| Mr Perker | Pickwick Papers |
| Isabella Wardle | Pickwick Papers |
| Uriah Heep | David Copperfield |
| Peggotty | David Copperfield |
| Barkis | David Copperfield |
| Betsey Trotwood | David Copperfield |
| Dora Spenlow | David Copperfield |
| Miss Havisham | Great Expectations |
| Nancy | Oliver Twist |
| Ebenezer Scrooge | A Christmas Carol |
| Madame Defarge | A Tale of Two Cities |
| Kate Nickleby | Nicholas Nickleby |
| Esther | Summerson |
We were delighted to have a large number of characters.
 Madame Defarge |
 Mr Pickwick, Ebenezer Scrooge, Barkis |
 Mr Perker, Dora Spendlow and Uriah Heap |
 Peggoty, Esther Summerson, Kate Nickleby |
 Isabella Wardle and Mr Perker |
 The Pickwick Club |
The prizes for the floats went to:
3rd prize: Ceroc Dancers
2nd prize: Gypsy Tractor and Trailer
Overall winner: Cancer Research UK – Give Peace a Chance!!
A very worthy winner!
See also the article Carnival magic as crowds gather in Sudbury for parade fun in the East Anglian Daily Times online edition.