The History of the British Fairground
The British fairground has a history stretching back hundreds of years. Long before Ferris wheels, Dodgems, Waltzers and modern thrill rides existed, fairs were already an important part of life across Britain.
They began as places for trade, gathering, celebration and entertainment, and over the centuries they developed into the travelling fairgrounds we recognise today.
The history of the fairground is not simply the history of rides. It is also the history of travelling showpeople, family businesses, engineering, transport, art, entertainment and a way of life that has been passed through generations.
The Earliest Fairs
The origins of British fairs can be traced back to medieval times and earlier.
Many early fairs were linked to religious feast days, seasonal celebrations and important trading dates. They gave people the opportunity to buy and sell goods, livestock and produce, find work, meet people and enjoy entertainment.
During the Middle Ages, many towns and villages were granted Royal Charters giving them permission to hold fairs on particular dates.
Thousands of fairs were granted charters during this period, although many were already established before they were formally recognised.
Some of Britain's best-known fairs can trace their history back for centuries.
Nottingham Goose Fair, for example, has medieval origins and received a Royal Charter from Edward I in 1284. Ilkeston Charter Fair dates back to 1252 and continues to be held today.
Other fairs became known as hiring fairs or mop fairs. These were places where workers could meet prospective employers and agree work for the coming year.
At this stage, entertainment was only one part of the fair.
A visitor might find traders, animals, food sellers, performers, travelling shows and games all operating alongside one another.
The Rise of Entertainment
As Britain moved through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, entertainment became increasingly important.
Travelling theatres, puppet shows, acrobats, boxing booths, waxworks, strongmen, menageries, magicians and curiosity shows became familiar sights.
By the nineteenth century, many fairs were beginning to change from primarily trading events into major places of public entertainment.
Visitors came not only to buy and sell, but to be entertained.
This period helped establish the atmosphere that people still associate with fairgrounds today — excitement, noise, colour, crowds and spectacle.
The First Fairground Rides
The earliest fairground rides were very different from modern attractions.
Roundabouts and swings were initially powered by people or animals.
Some rides were pushed around by hand, while others relied on horses.
That began to change dramatically during the nineteenth century.
The Industrial Revolution brought new machinery, new engineering techniques and, most importantly, steam power.
One of the most influential figures in fairground history was engineer Frederick Savage of King's Lynn.
Savage originally manufactured agricultural machinery, but his company became increasingly involved in the production of fairground equipment.
During the nineteenth century, steam power began to be used to operate roundabouts and other attractions.
This transformed the fairground.
Rides could become bigger, faster and more elaborate than ever before.
Steam-powered Gallopers, Switchbacks, Steam Yachts and other mechanical attractions became increasingly common.
The Victorian fairground had arrived.
The Golden Age of Steam
The late nineteenth century is often regarded as one of the great periods of British fairground development.
Steam engines did more than simply power rides.
Large Showman's road locomotives were used to transport fairground equipment from town to town and could also generate electricity once the fair had been built.
These impressive engines became strongly associated with the travelling fair.
They could haul heavy loads, provide power and create an enormous visual spectacle of their own.
At a time when many ordinary homes did not yet have electricity, a brightly illuminated travelling fairground must have been extraordinary to see.
Rides decorated with hundreds of lights, mirrors, painted panels and elaborate carvings could suddenly transform a dark field or town centre into a dazzling attraction.
Fairground operators have always understood the importance of presentation.
A ride had to be impressive before anyone even stepped onto it.
Fairground Art
Fairground art became an important part of the identity of the travelling fair.
Rides, living wagons, show fronts and transport were decorated with elaborate lettering, scrollwork, carvings, mirrors, gilding and brightly painted scenes.
Traditional fairground artists developed a distinctive style that is still instantly recognisable.
Names such as Orton & Spooner became well known for producing fairground rides, show fronts and decorative work.
Beautifully carved Galloper horses, painted rounding boards and ornate signs became as important visually as the rides themselves.
Even today, traditional signwriting and fairground artwork remain part of the industry's identity.
Modern rides may use LEDs, digital lighting and contemporary artwork, but many of the basic principles remain unchanged.
A fairground attraction still needs to catch the eye.
Travelling Showpeople
Behind the rides has always been a community of travelling showmen and women.
For many families, fairground life has been passed from generation to generation.
Children grow up learning how attractions are transported, built, maintained and operated.
They learn how to organise grounds, deal with the public, understand machinery and continue businesses started by previous generations.
Many of Britain's travelling fairground families have histories within the industry stretching back well over a century.
This is one of the things that makes the British fairground unusual.
It is not simply a collection of machines.
It is a living community and a way of life.
The Formation of the Showmen's Guild
By the late nineteenth century, travelling showpeople were facing increasing regulation and pressure affecting both their businesses and their way of life.
Showmen began to organise collectively so that they could protect their interests and have a stronger voice when dealing with authorities.
This movement eventually developed into what is now known as the Showmen's Guild of Great Britain.
The Guild became the recognised representative body for travelling showpeople and continues to represent members across the country today.
Its role includes representing the industry in discussions with local authorities and government, supporting established fairgrounds and protecting the interests of travelling showpeople.
For generations, the Guild has played an important role in preserving the traditions and future of the British travelling fair.
The World's Fair Newspaper
Communication between travelling families became increasingly important as the industry grew.
In 1904, The World's Fair newspaper was established.
It became a major source of information for the travelling fairground community.
The newspaper carried industry news, advertisements, equipment for sale, information about fairs, employment opportunities and family announcements.
For many years it became an important way for travelling showpeople around Britain to keep in touch with developments across the industry.
Showmen and the Birth of Cinema
One of the lesser-known parts of fairground history is the important role travelling showmen played in the development of cinema.
When moving pictures first appeared during the late nineteenth century, permanent cinemas did not yet exist in most towns.
Travelling showmen quickly saw the potential of the new technology.
Travelling cinematograph shows began appearing at fairs around Britain.
People who had never seen moving pictures before could visit a travelling fair and experience film for the first time.
In many areas, travelling showpeople were among the first people to bring cinema directly to ordinary communities.
As permanent cinemas eventually became widespread, the travelling picture shows declined.
Once again, the fairground adapted.
The First World War
The outbreak of the First World War in 1914 affected travelling showpeople just as it affected families across Britain.
Showmen served in the armed forces, and some never returned.
Fairground manufacturers were also involved in wartime production.
The engineering skills that had helped build steam-powered fairground attractions were redirected towards military needs.
The war brought disruption to fairs, transport and everyday life.
Afterwards, the industry entered another period of change.
Petrol and diesel engines became more common and steam gradually began to decline.
The Arrival of Dodgems and Modern Rides
The years between the two World Wars saw the arrival and development of attractions that would become some of the most familiar sights on the British fairground.
Dodgems transformed the experience for riders.
Instead of simply sitting on a mechanically controlled attraction, customers could steer their own electric cars and deliberately collide with one another.
Other rides such as Waltzers grew in popularity.
Electric motors allowed rides to become faster and easier to operate.
Music, lighting and artwork became increasingly important parts of the overall experience.
The fairground was becoming more recognisably modern.
However, traditional attractions remained popular.
This mixture of old and new continues to define the British fairground.
The Second World War
When the Second World War began in 1939, travelling showpeople once again served in the armed forces and supported the country in many different ways.
One of the most remarkable contributions made by the fairground community came during the Battle of Britain period.
In 1940, members of the Showmen's Guild began raising money to purchase a Spitfire aircraft for the Royal Air Force.
The target was £5,000, which was an enormous amount of money at the time.
Within only days, travelling showpeople had already raised a substantial part of the total.
By early 1941, the target had been reached.
The money funded a Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb, serial number W3764.
The aircraft became known as:
The Fun of the Fair
It is also sometimes referred to as All the Fun of the Fair.
The name recognised the travelling showpeople whose contributions had paid for the aircraft.
The Spitfire first flew in 1941 and went on to serve with several Royal Air Force squadrons, including Polish-manned squadrons.
It served with 306 Squadron, 303 Squadron and later 315 Squadron.
During its service life, W3764 experienced several accidents and repairs but continued operating.
The aircraft survived the war.
The story of The Fun of the Fair remains one of the proudest moments in the history of the travelling showmen community.
Families whose livelihoods depended on entertaining the public came together during wartime and raised enough money to provide the Royal Air Force with a frontline fighter aircraft.
Showmen who lost their lives during the World Wars are also remembered within the wider travelling community, including through memorials and Rolls of Honour.
The Fairground During Wartime
Fairs themselves also had a role during wartime.
Entertainment became important for morale.
Where fairs were able to continue operating, they provided people with a brief escape from the uncertainty and restrictions of everyday wartime life.
Many businesses also had to adapt because men from travelling families were away serving in the armed forces.
Women and other family members took on additional responsibility for operating businesses and keeping attractions travelling.
The show had to continue.
The Post-War Fairground
After the Second World War, fairground technology changed rapidly.
Diesel lorries replaced the great steam road locomotives.
Diesel generators and modern electricity supplies made rides easier to power.
Improved road transport meant attractions could travel further and move between events more efficiently.
Ride manufacturers developed increasingly sophisticated machinery.
Hydraulic systems allowed attractions to lift and swing in ways that earlier generations could never have imagined.
Electric motors became more powerful.
Lighting became brighter.
Sound systems improved.
Fairground art changed with the times too.
Popular films, music, celebrities and fashions often appeared within ride artwork.
The fairground has always reflected the culture of the period around it.
The Development of Modern Thrill Rides
By the second half of the twentieth century, a completely new generation of rides was appearing.
Traditional round rides were joined by machines capable of combining several different movements at once.
Rides could spin while lifting, swing while rotating or turn riders upside down.
European manufacturers became increasingly important to the travelling fairground industry.
Engineering also changed the way rides were transported.
Large attractions could increasingly be designed to fold onto specialised trailers.
This remains one of the most impressive parts of the travelling fairground industry.
A large amusement ride can arrive on the back of a trailer, be completely transformed into a working attraction, operate for an event and then be dismantled and transported somewhere else.
To the customer, the finished ride may look permanent.
To the showman, it is a travelling machine designed to continually move.
Traditional Rides Remain
Despite all the technological changes of the last century, traditional rides never disappeared.
This is one of the most special features of the British fairground.
A modern thrill ride can operate only yards away from a traditional Galloper, Cake Walk, Ferris Wheel, Dodgems or Fun House.
Some rides still operating today are many decades old.
They have survived because generations of owners have maintained, restored and updated them.
Others are modern attractions based on designs that have entertained families for generations.
The fairground therefore combines history and modern engineering in a way few other industries do.
It is not a museum.
The historic equipment is still working.
The Skill Behind the Fairground
Modern travelling showpeople require an enormous range of skills.
Operating a ride involves far more than simply pressing a start button.
Showpeople need to understand transport, engineering, electrical systems, hydraulics, maintenance, safety procedures, event planning and customer service.
They need to understand site access, ground conditions, weather, power requirements and the practicalities of moving large equipment through towns, fields, event sites and restricted entrances.
They may arrive when a site is completely empty.
Within hours, the same ground can contain rides, generators, lighting, barriers and attractions.
When the event finishes, everything is dismantled again.
By the following day, the equipment may be travelling towards another town.
That ability to transform an empty space into a temporary entertainment venue has remained at the heart of the travelling fairground for generations.
Safety and the Modern Fairground
Modern fairground rides operate within a highly developed system of inspection, maintenance and safety procedures.
Today's travelling attractions are subject to engineering inspections and established safety standards.
Owners carry out regular maintenance and inspections and operate rides according to documented procedures.
Risk assessments, method statements, public liability insurance and ride inspection documentation are now part of professional fairground operation.
The modern showman therefore combines traditional knowledge passed down through families with modern engineering and safety requirements.
Historic Fairs Still Operating Today
Some of Britain's historic fairs continue to operate hundreds of years after they began.
Many still take place on traditional dates and, in some cases, in the same town-centre locations used by earlier generations.
Modern rides may now stand where livestock, traders and travelling theatres once appeared centuries ago.
Nottingham Goose Fair remains one of Britain's best-known examples.
Other charter and historic fairs continue throughout the country.
Their survival demonstrates how deeply the travelling fair is connected to British social history.
The attractions have changed enormously.
The basic idea has not.
People still gather together to experience entertainment, excitement, food, lights and the atmosphere of the fair.
A Living Tradition
The history of the British fairground is a history of constant change.
Medieval trading fairs became places of entertainment.
Human and animal-powered rides gave way to steam.
Steam gave way to petrol, diesel and electricity.
Travelling showmen helped introduce moving pictures to communities before permanent cinemas existed.
Showman's engines were replaced by modern lorries.
Simple roundabouts developed into Dodgems, Waltzers, Ferris Wheels and sophisticated thrill rides.
Travelling showpeople served during two World Wars and, during the Second World War, came together to fund the RAF Spitfire W3764, The Fun of the Fair.
Yet despite centuries of change, the fundamental character of the travelling fairground has survived.
The fair arrives.
The rides are built.
An ordinary piece of ground becomes filled with lights, colour, music and movement.
For a few hours or days, thousands of people may pass through.
Then the lights go out.
The rides are dismantled.
The ground becomes empty again.
And the show moves on.
It has happened for generations and it continues today.
Proud to Continue the Tradition
At Ride Hire UK Ltd, we are proud to be part of this continuing British fairground tradition.
Our own family's involvement within the fairground industry stretches through generations, giving us first-hand knowledge and experience of traditional traveling fairs and modern event hire.
As members of The Showmen's Guild of Great Britain, we are proud to continue our family's long-standing tradition within the fairground industry.
Today Ride Hire UK Ltd works closely with established family businesses' and trusted ride owners to provide a wide range of traditional, family, children's and thrill rides for events across the UK.
Among the rides available through the business we work closely with is a 1955 Eli Bridge Ferris Wheel, an attraction that has already entertained generations and continues to opoerate today.
Technology will continue to change.
New rides will continue to be designed.
Events will continue to evolve.
But the traveling fairground has survived for centuries because of the ability to change while holding on to the traditions that make it unique.
The rides may change, but the tradition continues.