Or I'll Dress You in Mourning

I was struck by this curious sight when I alighted from the bus in the square: on the left a blacked-up Morris dancing team, in town for the folk festival, were performing in front of the Royal Oak, while on the right, just one building apart, dark-suited mourners were standing outside the church awaiting the arrival of a coffin. It seemed a little odd for the festivities to accompany the funeral but doubtless the departed had not anticipated the clash.

It then struck me that the sombre appearance of the dancers was appropriate too, given that they were dancing in front of a dead pub, the much-mourned Oak having been closed by the brewery last year and allowed to fall into such disrepair that there is no prospect of it being re-opened without substantial refurbishment. It's an historic building, the place where the surrender of the French invasion party was signed in 1797. Its loss as the main town pub has been a major blow to the local tourist trade and to the community as a whole. A notice to this effect has been posted in the window, as shown in my extra image, which I hope will be the start of a campaign to save it.

If you like Tom Jones you can hear him singing the title song (about El Cordobes) here. 
Black-face Morris dancers derive not from any type of racism but from the days when  country people felt the need to avoid recognition when enjoying these pagan pursuits.