Fairgrounds (No.4 in my Looking Back Series)
A Short History of the UK Fairgrounds
My family have travelled the fairs, carnivals for many years and in the UK Fairs have a long and ancient history, deeply rooted in tradition, and these traditions have always fascinated me from a very early age, not to mention the huge changes to the fairgrounds during my lifetime.
The word ‘Fair’ is from the Latin ‘feria’, meaning a holiday and that word ‘feria’ is used here in Spain to describe the Fairs of which there are thousands due to the fact almost every town and village have at least one annually . At one time, the Romans were given the credit of introducing the fairs, however, it is now generally accepted that their origins are from pagan customs of the people who first settled in Britain; their seasonal gatherings held for the purposes of both trade and festivity, contained within them the essential elements of the fair.
The Romans did much to promote fairs by improving trade and communications throughout the country by building the first road system. During the centuries following the departure of the Romans, many fairs and other festivals joined the calendar of the growing Christian Church.
Royal Charter Fairs
Royal Charters granted by the sovereign gave the fair a legal status and an increasing importance in the economic life of not just local communities but the whole nation. Merchants and traders from Europe, the Middle East and beyond began to visit the great-chartered fairs of the Middle Ages bringing with them a wealth of goods. The sheer number of these fairs, no fewer than 4860 were granted a Royal Charter between the years 1200 and 1400 (many still in force today), drew not only merchant but entertainers as well: jugglers, musicians and tumblers – these were the ancestors of today’s showmen.
Hiring Fairs
The Black Death of 1348-49 brought about a new kind of fair. In order to stem the rise in wages caused by the shortage of workers, Edward III introduced the Statute of Labourers. This compelled all able-bodied men to present themselves annually for hire at a stated wage. These gathering or hiring fairs were held mainly around Michealmas, the end of the agricultural year. Some of these hiring fairs evolved to include the hiring of servants for the wealthy, such as cooks, and housemaids and even today around the Midlands some fairs are called “Mop” fairs referring to the housemaids.
By the early eighteenth century, the trading aspects of the charter fairs had waned and most fairs consisted almost entirely of amusements, acrobats, illusionists and theatrical companies all plied their trade on fairgrounds. Around this time, the first fairground rides began to appear, small crudely constructed out of wood and propelled by gangs of boys.
Steam Power Introduced
In 1868, Frederick Savage, a successful agricultural engineer from Kings Lynn, devised a method of driving rides by steam. His invention, a steam engine mounted in the centre of the ride was to transform the fairground industry. Freed from the limitations of muscle power, rides could now be made larger, more capacious and more heavily ornamented. The showman’s demand for novelty was matched by the ingenuity of Savage and other engineers.
New Rides Appeared
In the wake of the steam revolution an amazing variety of new designs and rides appeared. These rides were the forerunners of today’s amazing thrill rides, over time innovations such as electric lighting, electric motors, hydraulics etc. allowed rides to evolve into the amazing devices that are seen today at any local fairground. One particular company in Burton-on-Trent who were famous for their production of Gypsy Caravans (Vardos) embraced this new technology and produced fairground rides such as the ‘Noah’s Ark’ with its exquisite carved wooden animals and gondolas. This same ride was, some years later easily converted into the ‘Waltzer’ with spinning cars instead of the static animals.
Now of course the annual visit of the ‘Fair’ is no longer a novelty when one can enjoy ‘All the Fun of the Fair’ any day of the week at such places as Alton Towers, Blackpool Pleasure Beach, Etc. I personally have not visited a UK fair in quite a few years, but I can honestly say from my experiences of fairgrounds (Recintos feriales) here in Spain, they bear little or no resemblance to the happy memories of my childhood, living and growing up on the British Fairgrounds.
Until next time ………..
