Mayflower Bazaar, Broughton Union Church, Manchester (December, 1920)

Although the months of September, October, and November 1920 marked the high point of the Mayflower tercentenary, celebratory events continued to be held in the winter and even into 1921. In the case of Manchester, the performance of Hugh Parry’s pageant in late September was the apex of the celebration, but there was a fillip of interest again just before Christmas 1920 when Broughton Union Church held a “Grand Mayflower Bazaar”. The Bazaar was in aid of an estimated £1000 expenses associated with the merging of two churches. Repairs to the Church Tower, roof, railings, the installation of an organ, and the purchase of new hymn books all needed to be paid for. The naming of the bazaar after the “Mayflower” did not seem to require explanation, likely because the main Manchester celebrations had been so well-publicised and were fresh in the memory.

James Rendel Harris (1852-1941), one of the most important advocates of the Mayflower tercentenary, likely attended the Bazaar himself. He was a Manchester resident in 1920 (being Curator of Manuscripts at the John Rylands Library) and an inveterate collector of Mayflower newspaper reports and memorabilia. This image is of the programme for the Bazaar, which is kept in his archive at Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre, Selly Oak.