Thursday 19 June 2025
8.00pm
High St, Kemsing, TN15 6NB
9.00pm
Twitton Lane, Otford, TN14 5JR
Thursday 12 June 2025
8.00pm
Rear of 37-39 North St, Strood, ME2 4SJ
9.00pm
Rochester Rd, Cuxton, ME2 1AD
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Touring our local area aboard a vintage coach with some of our friends.
Friday 06 June
Singing at Rose & Crown, High Street, Wrotham
Saturday 07 June
10.00am Goacher’s Brewery, Maidstone
11.30am The Chequers, Old Loose Hill, Loose
1.00pm The Halfway House, Brenchley
3.30pm The Chequers, The Street, Laddingford,
4.45pm Swan on the Green, West Peckham
Sunday 08 June
10.30am Meopham Windmill, Meopham
11.30am The Cricketers Inn, Meopham Green
12.30pm Dancing in Wrotham Square
Listen to our own Pete Burren chat with Lynn Briggs on West Kent Radio.
Hartley Morris Men, the oldest Morris side dancing in West Kent, have our roots dating back to the Stansted Morris dancers of the mid-1930s. We perform traditional Morris dances in the Cotswold style.
Our regular dance season runs from May until September and traditionally starts at dawn on May Day at the Coldrum Stones Long Barrow, which is even older than us. We dance most Thursdays through the summer, and the odd Tuesday, at some of West Kent’s best pubs and usually end the evening with a few songs. We also perform at various events at weekends where the clashing of sticks and a few beers seem to complement each other.
We’re a mixed bunch, ranging in age from early 20s to the other end of the spectrum. We’re keen to keep this great tradition going and would encourage you to come along and watch or, better still, get involved – we’re always happy to see new faces and teach them the dances.
Over the Christmas period traditional mumming plays are performed by some of our members as The Darent Valley Champions, in aid of local charities.
Wherever we are you’ll usually find the Hartley Horse, who originally erupted from an egg on the beach at Broadstairs many years ago and has followed us around ever since. Generally quite tame he sometimes gets completely out of control but has yet to cause anyone any serious harm, yet!