What is Ottery St Mary Tar Barrels?
Ottery St Mary is a quiet market town in East Devon, best known for its grand medieval church and as the birthplace of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Once a year it becomes the scene of one of the most alarming customs in Britain. On Guy Fawkes Night, barrels coated inside with tar are set alight outside the town's pubs and carried, burning, through the streets on the shoulders of local people. Sussex's Lewes Bonfire Night burns barrels the same night, but Visit Devon describes Ottery as the only UK town that still carries full-sized lit barrels through its streets every year.
Nobody knows exactly how the tradition began. The most common story links it to the celebrations after the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. Other theories suggest the burning barrels were once used to fumigate houses or to raise the alarm when the Spanish Armada was sighted. What is clear is that the custom has run for centuries, that the barrels used to be rolled through the streets, and that at some point the town decided carrying them was better.
The carriers are locals: local sources describe them as people born in the town or running a business there. Families pass the tradition down through generations, and many carriers start young with the smaller junior barrels before graduating to the full-size ones, which can weigh around thirty kilos. They wear homemade gloves of hessian and wire, and little else in the way of protection. Thousands of spectators come to watch, with some estimates as high as 20,000.
Each barrel belongs to a pub, each pub to a street, and each street to the families who have carried fire through it for generations.
A barrel passes through the crowd, close enough to feel the heat
Photo by Lewis Clarke / wikimedia · CC BY-SA 2.0
What to expect
The day builds slowly from the afternoon to a frantic finish at midnight.
Afternoon
Junior barrels
Junior barrels start at about 4 p.m., carried by young people and children in daylight, with a smaller crowd. This is the best time to watch if you have children with you.
Early evening
The bonfire
A large bonfire is lit at around 6:30 p.m. beside the River Otter, with a funfair nearby. It is a calmer place to warm up between barrels.
Evening
The main barrels
From 7 p.m., barrels are lit one after another outside pubs across town. Each is passed from carrier to carrier until it burns out, while the crowd chases, cheers and scatters.
Midnight
The last barrel
The biggest barrel of the night, known locally as the "Gurt Big Un", is carried in the town square, packed with the densest crowd of all.
Planning your trip
Getting there
Ottery St Mary lies a short drive inland from the coast, near Exeter. Exeter has the closest major rail station and an airport, and Honiton and Feniton are the nearest small stations, so you will need onward transport. On the night itself there is no vehicle access to the town center, roads close in the afternoon, and cars are directed to a limited number of temporary car parks on the edge of town. Regular buses are disrupted, with no extra late services, and taxis and buses drop off and collect at Salston Cross.
Where to stay
The best plan is to stay nearby. Exeter, Honiton and the seaside towns of Sidmouth and Exmouth all have hotels and guesthouses, but book early, because the whole area knows what happens on the fifth. Arrange your ride home before you arrive, since the buses do not run late.
What it costs
Watching is free, with no ticket needed. The costs are the parking in the temporary car parks, a ride home, and food and funfair rides; bring cash for the stalls.
Go like you know
- Arrive in daylight to park, walk the town and find the pubs where the barrels are lit, so you can navigate once the streets are dark and packed.
- Wear a wool hat and cover your hair. Sparks fly further than you expect.
- Bring cash for the funfair and food stalls, and a reusable cup and a flask of something warm: the event is glass- and plastic-free, and early November evenings in Devon are damp and cold.
- Stand on a step or a raised doorway if you can. You will see over the crowd and have a wall at your back.
- Visit the parish church of St Mary in daylight. Built in the 14th century and modeled on Exeter Cathedral, it gives the town its name.
- Hooked on British fire nights? Shetland's Up Helly Aa in Lerwick follows in late January.
Frequently asked questions
Is the event safe for spectators?
It is a real fire custom with real risk. The organizers manage it with marshals and route planning, and most spectators go home unharmed, but burns, scorched clothes and crowd surges do happen. Keep your distance from barrels, follow instructions and bring nothing you would mind losing to a spark.
Can visitors carry a barrel?
No. Carrying is reserved for local people, and many carriers come from families who have done it for generations. Visitors watch, cheer and get out of the way. That is the deal, and it is still one of the most intense things you can see in Britain.
Is it suitable for children?
The junior barrels in the afternoon are the family-friendly part, and the bonfire and funfair keep children busy. The evening barrels are another matter: crowds are dense and the barrels move fast, and the organizers discourage children after 7 p.m. Pushchairs are not permitted.
Can I combine Ottery with Lewes?
Not on the same night. Both are held on the fifth, at opposite ends of southern England, so you have to choose. Lewes is bigger, more theatrical and political. Ottery is smaller, rawer and more intimate, and puts you closer to the fire than you may want to be.
