Parish of Trinity Battle of Flowers Exhibit
'ALL YOU NEED IS LOVE'
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ANATOMY OF A BATTLE OF FLOWERS FLOAT A brief history of how a Jersey Battle of Flowers float is created and exhibited
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 | The exhibit, freshly flowered and
transported to the Battle of Flowers arena awaits the arrival of the judges. Last minute checks are made to the flowering area in case of damage during transit. Audio sysyems and animation effects are tested and the dancers prepare to go through their routine.
Judging is very much a subjective process and can cause a fair amount of debate after the awards have been made. |
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| Many months previous to this the very first inklings of what is to come were laid before the Trinity Battle of Flowers committee in the form of drawings and estimates of prospective designs. The potential of each idea is examined in great detail before a final choice is made. |  |
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Now the float builders get to work constructing the foundations to carry the finished exhibit. The
chassis consists of a farm tractor which has been elongated using steel joists. The steering wheels
are extended about 20 feet in front of the engine. |  |
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 | During the early months of the
year things start to take shape.
The 'Yellow Submarine' is formed
using sheets of plywood and thin
board. All construction must be
extremely robust and safe to work
on. The tractor area must ensure
that the driver is encased in a
fully protected zone. How can he
hope to see where he is going
when the float is finished?
More of that later. |
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 | Profiles start to emerge giving
the first indications of how the
proportions and flow lines will
look. Problems of construction
and access to different areas are
solved as the build progresses.
The builders must have a clear
idea at all times of what the end
product should look like because
small mistakes in construction
at this stage can throw the final
product some way out of line. |
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At about this time other vital work
is started indoors. Paper designs
are reproduced in finished size.
Here, iconic images of the 'fab four'
are decorated with harestails of
different colours to match the
underlying image. Every part of
the finished float must be covered
with either fresh (80% min.) or
dried flower heads such as
harestails. Harestailing produces
the most exacting and delicate
finish which can elevate the float
into the highest range of the judging scale. |  |
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 | The design is further
advanced by the
creation of large-scale
images to adorn the
main areas of the float.
Polystyrene is a
favourite material but
requires skillful
manipulation to get
the desired effect.
Chainsaws and wire
brushes are used. |  |
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 | At some point the whole design
really starts to give a good
impression of how it will look
when finishes. This is the last
stage at which substantial
modifications to the design can
be contemplated. It is now moved
under cover to protect the delicate
papier-mache covering that
defines the finished contours. |
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Soon the flowering time arrives.
Thousands of fresh flower heads
are cut and processed by large
numbers of people. Here we see
just a small area of the flowering
area. There can as be as many as
50 or 60 people at peak times
performing a range of tasks. The
fresh flowering process can take
up to three days each lasting at
least 12 hours so it becomes
obvious how many people are
required to complete the task. |  |
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Every part of the float must be
meticulously covered in flower
heads. Judging marks are awarded for neatness and regularity of flowering. Only the most experienced people
are allowed to stick flowers.
Young people are encouraged
to enter their own smaller float so that they can acquire the skills required to work on the main exhibit. |  |
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The previously completed
harestailed pieces are now brought
forward and overlayed onto the
fresh flowered areas. The 3-D
effect enhances the presentation
of these 'set-pieces' which are
eligible for special awards of
their own. John gets a last-minute
adjustment to his hair. The lifelike
impression achieved here is a
testament to skill when you
consider that the whole area is
covered with flower heads. |  |
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 | | The whole float is painted prior to flowering which enables the flowerers to create such a precise finish. Note once again the regular lines of the flowers which so essential to gain the judges attention. Note also how many people are engaged in flowering a small area of the float. Often people work in pairs with one gluing the flower heads and the other doing the sticking. It is important to ensure that work can proceed on different areas at the same time without people impeding the work of others. |
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 | At some time, usually well into
the early hours of the judging
day, the float is complete and
everyone goes home to get a few
short hours of sleep before the
big parade. At first light the
floats are driven out of their
flowering areas and move under
escort to the arena. Some floats
have to travel 5 or 6 miles on the
main roads from all parts of the
island. |
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| In the Battle of Flowers parade, the driver is completely enclosed within the structure and is guided by a combination of CCTV and radio links to escorts walking beside then float. Some items which make the float too high to pass hrough the flowering shed doors are transported separately and lifted into position by cranes in the arena. The Sergeant Pepper drum was one such item. | | |  | | |  | | |  |
|  | | For the parade the float is accompanied by a large number of people in costume. This is carnival time for all those who have worked so hard to get the float into the arena and is a marvelous climax to the whole process. |  |
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