Where to see us 2023

White Rose can be seen locally, mostly on Wednesday nights, and our programme is HERE.

White Rose 70th Anniversary Ceilidh

Slaithwaite Civic Hall, Saturday 25th November, 7.30pm

  • Caller: Ollie Simons
  • Band: The White Rose All-Stars!
  • Tickets £10 including light refreshments (Under 18s - £7)
  • Licensed bar

Online ticket sales are now closed, but you can still get a ticket on the door (cash preferred).


Ceilidh Poster

The 8th Cliff Barstow Jig Competition, Spa Foyer, Whitby, Tuesday 22nd August 2023


Congratulations to our 2024 winner, Conor Smith!

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The 2022 winner, Emma Wooders, dancing Lumps of Plum Pudding, Badby

Lily Sanders dancing Lumps of Plum Pudding, Bledington

Ian Nichols dancing Jockey to the Fair, Headington

Nickie Dailly dancing The Nutting Girl, Field Town

Simon Matthews dancing The Fool's Jig, (One man rapper dance in the Cotswold style)

Toby Melville, our winner in 2020, finally gets to dance his celebratory jig! The Nutting Girl, Field Town.

White Rose Morris...

...are based in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

Originally formed in the autumn of 1953 by a number of Leeds University Morris Men and others who wished to form a non-university side, White Rose Morris Men met initially in the Burley Road scout headquarters and were helped by Ron Smedley, the EFDSS Yorkshire Area Organiser. Co-operation continued with the Leeds University Men resulting in the joint hosting of the 53rd Morris Ring Meeting in Leeds in 1956 although it was to be 1959 before White Rose were admitted as a member side into the Morris Ring.

In 1971, the club moved its base to Huddersfield and organised the 215th Ring Meeting in the town in 1986. Celebrations for our Golden Jubilee in 2003 took place throughout the year and included a weekend gathering in September when around 280 members of traditional dance sides descended on Bradley Wood from around the country to tour surrounding areas. In 2013 the side celebrated its 60th - and in 2018 its 65th - anniversaries with weekends of dance touring Calderdale and Kirklees, including the Colne Valley.

Cliff Barstow, the founder member of White Rose, sadly passed away in February 2015, but the family tradition is continued by his son (Ned) and grandsons (Joseph and Liam). The annual Cliff Barstow Memorial Jig Competition is organised by White Rose to promote an economically graceful and upright dancing style embodied by Cliff.

A familiar sight in distinctive ‘whites’ with green baldrics and straw hats at regional and national folk festivals, and other local events, White Rose dance the South Midlands (or Cotswold) tradition ‘Up North’ and have also performed in Sweden, Jersey, Provence, Romania and, most recently (2019), in Germany at the Aachen Festival.

White Rose Morris Men spawned the former associate side Dog Rose that appeared in the English Roots and Demon Barbers folk road shows touring nationwide, and on television in Later With Jools Holland (here) bringing ‘the Morris’ to a wider audience.

White Rose Morris practise at HD1 Dance Studio , 5 St John's Road, Huddersfield HD1 5AY on Wednesday evenings except during the summer months (when we often dance out) and new members are always welcome, however inexperienced!