Ep.35 Wrestle at Florence Arts Centre, Egremont September 25

If you need to sort your leg up buttock from your insidehipe, then a new exhibition celebrating Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling at Florence Arts Centre in Egremont is the place for you.

Cumberland and Westmorland wrestling is a traditional formof “backhold” wrestling with origins going back to Viking times. It has strong cultural connections with farming and heavy industry; men would wrestle after work in their long-john underwear.

“Wrestle” tells the story of the sport through original artwork by Janet Moss, contemporary photography by Chris Routledge, archive photos and costumes and a community embroidery project.

And to celebrate the exhibition’s opening, a demonstrationof some of the holds and tactics was put on too. Tom Speight went along to watch to find out more…