The Shelford Feast goes back to medieval times. In the early part of the twentieth century The Feast was held on the sports ground, where Leeway Avenue is now, moving to the land behind the former De Freville Arms in the 1930's. The main feature of The Feast in those days was a funfair with Stanley Thurston Amusements featuring prominently.
The Feast continued until the Second World War, the last one being held in 1938 until revived in 1994.

July 1856. Great Shelford

"Our Annual Feast will be held on Monday next, when there will be a variety of amusements, such as bowling, dancing, &c.''Frederick's Theatre will attend; and we hear that amongst the pieces he intends to perform will be, ''My mother won't let me marry, as I'm only 32''

This farce was performed at our Feast last year, and was founded upon an occurrence which took place in the parish.

"Great Shelford Feast was always held on the second weekend in July and lasted for three days. it was an ancient feast coinciding with the patronal festival of the church of St Mary the Virgin. [the children] dressed in fancy dress and went in processions to the field ... where stalls were set up and games and sports held."

Revival

The Shelford Feast was revived in 1994 because of concerns about the effects of financial cuts on Shelford Primary School.

It was the brainchild of Jerry Brown, whose father Basil had taken part in organising the Feasts which took place in Shelford before the Second World War. Jerry grabbed a few pals, told them how hard the school would be hit by the cuts and the group called The Bunch was born. In six weeks The Bunch had organised a Feast in the grounds of the school and all proceeds were given to the school.

Now a regular village event, The Feast has raised over £90,000 over twelve years, now some £10,000 per year, which has all gone to village causes, mainly those which help young people, and has entertained all who have attended.

The Recreation Ground on which this Feast is held was bought by the Parish Council in 1921 replacing a field where Granhams Close is today and, later, ground off Hinton Way, access to which was where Glebe Lane still remains.

At first the "Rec" stayed as little better than a grass field with grass so tall that children could get lost in the standing grass and then the hay in summer. In time a football pitch was laid out, then, unusually, an oval running track, and finally a cricket pitch. The river was clear to its gravel bottom and was used daily as a natural bathing pool; the remains of the diving board can still be seen. For a while bathing huts provided changing facilities for both men and women on either side of the coppice.

A bowling green provided an extra facility and latterly we have seen the expansion of a tennis club with hard courts and floodlights continuing a tradition of sporting facilities in the village begun by the foresight of the parish council.

The original village hall was an ex army hut and several suitable replacements were considered. The old British School (now Auto Quick) was considered unsafe (!) and another plan was too expensive, so raffles and exhibitions were held in the old hut to raise money for the new.

The partly prefabricated building we see today was the result of their money raising and this has seen generations of dances, amateur dramatics productions and pet shows, scout and guide groups, to the now popular discos and step aerobics classes. The club room upstairs, taken over by the football club is also a well used facility, now also used by a Friday night youth club.

The Feast Coat of Arms

Being so old, we even have our own genuine coat of arms!

Officially described as "Azure, between three crosses patonce, or, a chevron, or.
For a crest, the crown of Ely".

In plain English, says Dennis Doyle our local historian, it’s a blue shield with 3 gold (yellow) crosses (with specially shaped ends of arms) placed 2 above and one below a golden (yellow) chevron.
These arms belonged to Bishop Fordham of Ely (c 1389) who was Bishop when Thomas Patesley (Rector) built Shelford Parish Church c 1396 - 1418.
Felix IV in c AD 530 laid down as a law of the Church … anniversaries of dedication of a church should be solemnly observed for eight days. In England such observance occurred at a very early date and local village fairs and feasts came to be held on or very close to the festival of the saint to whom the church was dedicated.

The Patronal Festival of Great Shelford Church is July 2nd (the visitation of the Blessed Virgin) and up to some years ago the Feast was always the 2nd Sunday in July.

In 1751 an Act was passed which decreed that after September 2nd 1752, eleven days should be omitted, so that the 3rd of September became September 14th. Fairs and Feasts however were to be held on the natural days “upon or according to which the same should have been so kept or holden in case this act had not been made.”

From 1753 onwards, therefore, Shelford Feast was held on or about the 13th of the month instead of the 2nd, the variable date of the Monday after the second Sunday in July being adapted much later.
Dennis Doyle.

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