With its common, woodland and public houses, Peppard was popular as a site for carousing and revelling for residents of Reading and the surrounding area, who would visit Peppard in the 1700's and 1800's for extended periods of good humoured celebration and partying, often proceeding into and through the night.
Peppard Common was the site of the annual Whit Monday revels, which are documented in the 18th century and continued until about 1840. Prize-fighting took place on a mound opposite the Red Lion and various races were held. The Congregationalist minister Joseph Walker (1797-1828) took a dim view, claiming that the revels 'brought together the very scum of the surrounding country, to partake in, and be witnesses of, cudgelling, foot and ass racing, and all the various abominations usual on these occasions; the day always ending in intoxication, fighting, and other evils too shameful to mention'. Walker instituted an 'anti-revelry anniversary', inducing many young people to spend Whit Monday at the chapel by promising them dinner, and gradually the tradition died out.
The modern Peppard Revels was re-started in 1998 and a committee formed to revive this custom, revel and party. The committee organised its first event on the top common, the 2000 Peppard Millennium Revels. This was followed by further successful events:
- 2002: Queen's Golden Jubilee Revels
- 2005: 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar Revels
- 2008: centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth in 2008, the James Bond Revels
The theme of the 2012 Revels will be the Peppard fun 'Olympics' and also celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
The organising committee are grateful to the Commons Conservators for permission to use the top common for the events.
Peppard Common was the site of the annual Whit Monday revels, which are documented in the 18th century and continued until about 1840. Prize-fighting took place on a mound opposite the Red Lion and various races were held. The Congregationalist minister Joseph Walker (1797-1828) took a dim view, claiming that the revels 'brought together the very scum of the surrounding country, to partake in, and be witnesses of, cudgelling, foot and ass racing, and all the various abominations usual on these occasions; the day always ending in intoxication, fighting, and other evils too shameful to mention'. Walker instituted an 'anti-revelry anniversary', inducing many young people to spend Whit Monday at the chapel by promising them dinner, and gradually the tradition died out.
The modern Peppard Revels was re-started in 1998 and a committee formed to revive this custom, revel and party. The committee organised its first event on the top common, the 2000 Peppard Millennium Revels. This was followed by further successful events:
- 2002: Queen's Golden Jubilee Revels
- 2005: 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar Revels
- 2008: centenary of Ian Fleming’s birth in 2008, the James Bond Revels
The theme of the 2012 Revels will be the Peppard fun 'Olympics' and also celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.
The organising committee are grateful to the Commons Conservators for permission to use the top common for the events.