Festivals, flowers and football — how Britain went nuts for May

S

pring is in full bloom as we approach the end of the month. The changing seasons are heralded with a variety of enduring customs and activities across the UK.

From May Day and maypole dancing to birdsong and blossoming gardens, it is a season of change and renewal. Unnamed children run hand in hand past a one-man band on the Epsom Downs during Derby Day in May 1948 in the joyous image above.

This collection of photographs from the Times archive reflects on springtime in the month of May, from the horticultural delights of the Chelsea Flower Show to celebrations of the FA Cup Final.

A letter to the editor of The Times in 1931 from a Herbert HB Walton recalled a May Day song