Windsor Free Festival
Encyclopedia
The Windsor Free Festival was a British Free Festival
held in Windsor Great Park
from 1972 to 1974. Organised by some London
commune
dwellers, notably Ubi Dwyer
and Sid Rawle
, it was in many ways the forerunner of the Stonehenge Free Festival
, particularly in the brutality of its final suppression by the police, which led to a public outcry about the tactics involved.
The first Festival in 1972 was promoted as "Rent Strike: The People's Free Festival", reflecting the political concerns of the organisers (coming as they did from squatting
and commune
movements), with an anti-monarchist
choice of site in "the Queen's back garden". Attendance was about 700 in its first year, rising to 8000 in 1973, and an even larger crowd in its final year.
The 1974 Festival, due to last for ten days, was broken up on the sixth morning by a large number of police. On August 29th 1974, the site was invaded by hundreds of officers from the Thames Valley police force
who, in an early morning invasion and with truncheons drawn, proceeded to use what most people would deem unreasonable force to remove the mostly peaceful festival-goers. Nicholas Albery
, playwright Heathcote Williams
and his partner Diana Senior successfully sued David Holdsworth, the Thames Valley
Chief Constable for creating a riotous situation in which the police attacked the plaintiffs.
In 1975 both Ubi Dwyer
and Sid Rawle
were imprisoned, for attempting to promote a 1975 Windsor Festival. A further attempt to return to Windsor in 1978 led to another arrest for Ubi Dwyer
. The government provided an abandoned airfield at Watchfield
in 1975, in response to the public outrage, and as a means of moving the festival
away from Royal castles
, but the atmosphere of this event was poor compared to Stonehenge
, where the energy of the People's Free Festival
continued.
Free festival
Free festivals are a combination of music, arts and cultural activities for which, often, no admission is charged, but involvement is preferred. They are identifiable by being multi-day events connected by a camping community without centralised control. The Free festival movement being the...
held in Windsor Great Park
Windsor Great Park
Windsor Great Park is a large deer park of , to the south of the town of Windsor on the border of Berkshire and Surrey in England. The park was, for many centuries, the private hunting ground of Windsor Castle and dates primarily from the mid-13th century...
from 1972 to 1974. Organised by some London
London Street Commune
The London Street Commune was a movement formed during the 1960s in London. The main aim of the movement was to highlight concerns about rising levels of homelessness. They famously took control of, and were evicted from, a mansion at 144 Piccadilly in 1969, in a high profile Metropolitan police...
commune
Intentional community
An intentional community is a planned residential community designed to have a much higher degree of teamwork than other communities. The members of an intentional community typically hold a common social, political, religious, or spiritual vision and often follow an alternative lifestyle. They...
dwellers, notably Ubi Dwyer
Ubi Dwyer
Bill 'Ubi' Dwyer or William Ubique Dwyer was an anarchist activist in New Zealand, Australia, England and his native Ireland best known as the originator and principal organiser of the Windsor Free Festival....
and Sid Rawle
Sid Rawle
Sidney William "Sid" Rawle was a British campaigner for peace and land rights, free festival organiser, and a former leader of the London squatters movement...
, it was in many ways the forerunner of the Stonehenge Free Festival
Stonehenge Free Festival
The Stonehenge Free Festival was a British free festival from 1972 to 1984 held at Stonehenge in England during the month of June, and culminating on the summer solstice on June 21. The festival was a celebration of various alternative cultures...
, particularly in the brutality of its final suppression by the police, which led to a public outcry about the tactics involved.
The first Festival in 1972 was promoted as "Rent Strike: The People's Free Festival", reflecting the political concerns of the organisers (coming as they did from squatting
Squatting
Squatting consists of occupying an abandoned or unoccupied space or building, usually residential, that the squatter does not own, rent or otherwise have permission to use....
and commune
Commune (socialism)
Traditionally, the revolutionary left sees the Commune as a populist replacement for the elitist parliament. The far-left, despite their differences, agree that the commune would have several features...
movements), with an anti-monarchist
Republicanism in the United Kingdom
Republicanism in the United Kingdom is the movement which seeks to remove the British monarchy and replace it with a republic that has a non-hereditary head of state...
choice of site in "the Queen's back garden". Attendance was about 700 in its first year, rising to 8000 in 1973, and an even larger crowd in its final year.
The 1974 Festival, due to last for ten days, was broken up on the sixth morning by a large number of police. On August 29th 1974, the site was invaded by hundreds of officers from the Thames Valley police force
Thames Valley Police
Thames Valley Police, formerly known as Thames Valley Constabulary, is the territorial police force responsible for policing the Thames Valley area covered by the ceremonial counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire....
who, in an early morning invasion and with truncheons drawn, proceeded to use what most people would deem unreasonable force to remove the mostly peaceful festival-goers. Nicholas Albery
Nicholas Albery
Nicholas Albery social inventor and author, was the founder or leader of various projects related to the improvement of society, often known as the Alternative Society....
, playwright Heathcote Williams
Heathcote Williams
Heathcote Williams is an English poet, actor and award-winning playwright. He is also an intermittent painter, sculptor and long-time conjuror...
and his partner Diana Senior successfully sued David Holdsworth, the Thames Valley
Thames Valley
The Thames Valley Region is a loose term for the English counties and towns roughly following the course of the River Thames as it flows from Oxfordshire in the west to London in the east. It includes parts of Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, North Hampshire, Surrey and west London...
Chief Constable for creating a riotous situation in which the police attacked the plaintiffs.
In 1975 both Ubi Dwyer
Ubi Dwyer
Bill 'Ubi' Dwyer or William Ubique Dwyer was an anarchist activist in New Zealand, Australia, England and his native Ireland best known as the originator and principal organiser of the Windsor Free Festival....
and Sid Rawle
Sid Rawle
Sidney William "Sid" Rawle was a British campaigner for peace and land rights, free festival organiser, and a former leader of the London squatters movement...
were imprisoned, for attempting to promote a 1975 Windsor Festival. A further attempt to return to Windsor in 1978 led to another arrest for Ubi Dwyer
Ubi Dwyer
Bill 'Ubi' Dwyer or William Ubique Dwyer was an anarchist activist in New Zealand, Australia, England and his native Ireland best known as the originator and principal organiser of the Windsor Free Festival....
. The government provided an abandoned airfield at Watchfield
Watchfield
Watchfield is a village and civil parish in the Vale of White Horse, about southeast of Highworth in neighbouring Wiltshire. Watchfield is about north of the village of Shrivenham. Both villages used to be on the main road between Oxford and Swindon, which is now the A420 road...
in 1975, in response to the public outrage, and as a means of moving the festival
Free festival
Free festivals are a combination of music, arts and cultural activities for which, often, no admission is charged, but involvement is preferred. They are identifiable by being multi-day events connected by a camping community without centralised control. The Free festival movement being the...
away from Royal castles
Windsor Castle
Windsor Castle is a medieval castle and royal residence in Windsor in the English county of Berkshire, notable for its long association with the British royal family and its architecture. The original castle was built after the Norman invasion by William the Conqueror. Since the time of Henry I it...
, but the atmosphere of this event was poor compared to Stonehenge
Stonehenge Free Festival
The Stonehenge Free Festival was a British free festival from 1972 to 1984 held at Stonehenge in England during the month of June, and culminating on the summer solstice on June 21. The festival was a celebration of various alternative cultures...
, where the energy of the People's Free Festival
Free festival
Free festivals are a combination of music, arts and cultural activities for which, often, no admission is charged, but involvement is preferred. They are identifiable by being multi-day events connected by a camping community without centralised control. The Free festival movement being the...
continued.
See also
- Ubi DwyerUbi DwyerBill 'Ubi' Dwyer or William Ubique Dwyer was an anarchist activist in New Zealand, Australia, England and his native Ireland best known as the originator and principal organiser of the Windsor Free Festival....
- Sid RawleSid RawleSidney William "Sid" Rawle was a British campaigner for peace and land rights, free festival organiser, and a former leader of the London squatters movement...
- Phil Russell, aka Wally HopeWally HopeWally Hope was a name by which Phillip Russell was known.Phil was a visionary and a free-thinker, whose life has had a profound influence on many in the culture of the UK Underground and beyond...
, co-founder of the Windsor and the Stonehenge Free Festivals.
External links
- International TimesInternational TimesInternational Times was an underground newspaper founded in London in 1966. Editors included Hoppy, David Mairowitz, Pete Stansill, Barry Miles, Jim Haynes and playwright Tom McGrath...
- Windsor Free Festival - 1972http://www.internationaltimes.it/index.php?year=1972&volume=IT-Volume-1&issue=137&item=IT_1972-09-09_B-IT-Volume-1_Iss-137_006, 1973http://www.internationaltimes.it/index.php?year=1973&volume=IT-Volume-1&issue=162&item=IT_1973-09-06_B-IT-Volume-1_Iss-162_001 http://www.internationaltimes.it/index.php?year=1973&volume=IT-Volume-1&issue=162&item=IT_1973-09-06_B-IT-Volume-1_Iss-162_005 - Report of the 2rd Windsor Free Festival in Hobo Magazine - August 1973
- The Dream & The Nightmare - Reverend Brian Ferguson at Windsor 1974
- The Windsor Free Festivals, 1972-4 @ ukrockfestivals
- Memory of a Free Festival
- Poster of 74 Festival by Dave Steele and Steve Carr of Whatever Next Art Workshop
- Windsor Free Festival 1975 - the festival that never was.
