Pageants showcase Carlisle's history

The way Carlisle views its own history is the subject of a new exhibition.

By long-standing right, the end of August is declared annually as Carlisle Great Fair - a week long street market with entertainment.

However, in 1928, 1951 and 1977 special pageants were also held, with hundreds of costumed participants acting out key vents from the city's past.

These are now the subject of an exhibition at Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery from 22 August.

Billed as an "exploration of people, community and identity", it will feature costumes, photographs, film footage, and ephemera, as well as oral testimony from those who took part.

Edwin Rutherford, curator at Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, said: "The pageants are all fascinating in terms of their theatrical nature, perspectives of local history and self image."

The Great Fair is still celebrated in Carlisle, and since 2013 there have been parades based on puppetry, often depicting historical characters.

The pageants were divided into episodes, first Hadrian and the Roman Wall, with the Romans depicted as heroes rather than conquerors.

There would then be scenes such as the Normans establishing the castle and cathedral, Mary Queen of Scots, who was imprisoned in the castle in 1568, and the capturing of the city during the Jacobite rebellion.

Further episodes were introduced in 1977, including the weavers' riots, the construction of the Carlisle canal, and the marriage of Sir Walter Scott in the city.

Mr Rutherford said: "They provide superb reflections on Carlisle society at the time.

"It is also interesting to see how the city saw itself through history."