Since the English Mystery Play Cycles for Corpus Christi developed from processions, they were expected to go through the center of the town and stop by many of the churches, as the procession had done. The procession had celebrated a short Mass at each parish church, and the pageant wagons may have included this type of stop at first. But as the plays grew longer, they became the substitute for the procession, which was eventually scheduled for the following day. The stops were just for each wagon to put on its play.
In 1399, the pageant wagons had twelve stops. During the 1400s, more parish churches were included, up to seventeen stops. At each stop, the pageant wagon had to lock its wheels and perform its play, then move on a few blocks to the next.
The physical demands of the large wagons put some limitations on the route. Sharp corners were avoided, of course, though the wagons had some turning ability. It’s worth noting that for most city load-hauling, wagons were not used, just as we wouldn’t use an 18-wheeler to move things inside New York City. The medieval equivalent of a delivery van was the two-wheeled cart, often a platform with wicker walls to hold the load. Wagons were for special purposes, like moving the king’s household furniture from castle to castle. Carts could dodge potholes and back up easily; wagons lumbered along. But by the 14th century, at least the pivoting front axle could be counted on.
Large lumber had become extremely expensive by the time of the Corpus Christi processions. A large wagon with pivoting front axle, four or even six wheels, full-wooden sides and structure on top, and some special effects cranes or doors was a major investment. Sometimes, a guild that had contracted to provide a pageant wagon found that it could no longer afford the expense. Another guild, whose fortunes were on the ascent, took it over, and the fading guild was just assigned to support some other production with fees.
The pageant procession crossed the River Ouse into the city, through the gates of the old city wall and then around a square inside the walled Old City, choosing streets that were wide enough. At the beginning and end of the route, they needed a place for the pageant wagons to wait. Without Walmart parking lots, they used some Greens–open areas with grass–and some market squares, including one in York called The Pavement. (Clearly, it was named at the time when the expense of paving stones pounded into the dirt, to avoid rivers of mud in spring, was an extravagant investment.) A parish church, All Saints, was conveniently located on The Pavement to serve as the last stop. The circuit went from east to west, following the sun through the day, so at the eastern greens where wagons lined up at sunrise, it was convenient to have sheds to rent storage space during the rest of the year. To some extent, the play cycle prompted the type of transient and permanent structures needed by county fairs.