The magazine of the art-form of the photo-essay
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Nov 2014 back issue
by Damian Bird
Each year on Guy Fawkes night, the small Devon town of Ottery St Mary hosts a traditional event that is hundreds of
years old.
Thousands of spectators gather to watch the spectacle of full sized, flaming tar barrels being hauled through the
streets of this otherwise sleepy community.
Seventeen barrels of various sizes are carried throughout the day starting with small ones for the children and medium
sized for the youths and women. The largest are reserved for the men and are paraded later in the evening.
No-one is quite sure where the tradition came from. Some believe that it was a form of fumigation for the cottages
while others say that it was started as a warning of the approach of the Spanish Armada. Whatever the origins, the
heaving of burning tar barrels is a dangerous business that the town’s people take very seriously. Observers of the
event witness an unforgettable, wild night of roaring flames, sweat and adrenaline-fuelled fervour.
