| Kate |
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Did you visit the Fair? Did you have a good time? What was your favourite thing at the Fair? Those rides on the meadows looked awesome. Did you win any prizes or have your fortune read? Or did you visit the Fair years ago? How has it changed since then? Why not share it with us?
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| Joanna Steele |
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I met my Fiance at Stamford Fair in 2003, and we have been together for 10 years now and have a 9 year old together, Stamford is our favourite Fair, as it's where we met, and we still help a couple of people out at the Fair as well.
We love the Dodgem's on Broad Street, owned by Dorinda Holland, and her son Austin, my Fiance, regularly helps them out, because he loves the fun of it all.
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| Richard |
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I have a vivid memory of the Mid Lent Fair. I believe it was a Saturday evening,the last night before moving on. I was with my parents and quite young.We were coming up from the square,into the narrow roadway leading to the bottom end of Broad Street by the fish and chip shop. Here the crowd was so thick and became a real crush,as more people and children crowded in the more congested it became and was very frightening. Eventually we managed to escape down the lane by the cinema. It was so crowded no one could move in any direction. I think steps were taken to prevent this happening again. We called it the Great Escape.
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| Richard |
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I have a vivid memory of the Mid Lent Fair. I believe it was a Saturday evening,the last night before moving on. I was with my parents and quite young.We were coming up from the square,into the narrow roadway leading to the bottom end of Broad Street by the fish and chip shop. Here the crowd was so thick and became a real crush,as more people and children crowded in the more congested it became and was very frightening. Eventually we managed to escape down the lane by the cinema. It was so crowded no one could move in any direction. I think steps were taken to prevent this happening again. We called it the Great Escape.
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| Clem Walden |
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Visiting the fair, new ride's,old ride's,new traveller's,old traveller's. Over the last 65+years there have been so many many changes. Following the end 1939-45 conflict. Stamford fair was at one time sited on the Recreation Ground. As a very young boy that year was the very first time I visited the fair. Everything looked so big? I well remember looking at the Chair-a-plane' ride. A ride that I feared! Owing to the story I had been told by my Mother about Dorothy Sharpe who lived in Essex Rd, very near to our own family home. Dorothy unfortunatly was flung out of the chair on this faulty ride and suffered terible injuries that effected the rest of her life. I never went on!! I was far too scared. But did stand and stare in great amazement at this giant ride that seemed to wizz round at such great speed. I also recall the bobbin-horses and the Norse Ark. But believe that year there were very few rides. Therr were however lots of stalls, like win a goldfish-coconut-shy-roll-a-penny-and a dart-stall that had ten shilling notes on the boards! that one could win if your dart pierced one. I remember thinking at the time the ten-bob note's must have steel behind them? As I observed several throwing darts that hit the notes but fell out. However that very first visit to the fair actually scared me! well I was only a child at the time. Later on when I was a big boy 10 or 11? I feared nothing. But unfortunatley at the time only had half a crown [12.5 pence in today's money] to spend at the fair. And that had to last me all week. Interestingly way back then I made friends with several of the fair children. The young Fendick's-Ling's-and the Wood's but they would alway's refer to their parents and families as "Showmen" each year when I visted our annual fair I would see all these friends who's parents were responsible for introducing bigger and better rides.I remember the time when I first had a go on the old cake-walk that was owned by the Wood's family and run by Granny Woods this ride was always a very popular for all visitors. My favorite ride was the big-wheel. Today of course those technology rides our "Showmen" bring cost fortunes to purchase. In fact millions of pounds are invested on purchasing such rides. And the Showman's Guild makes sure each and every new ride complies with all the relevent HSE laws. Sadly one of my childhood showman friends John Wood's died a year ago but his children carry on this great showman tradition. And I was very pleased to see all of them all last March. The Fendicks I once would spend time with Jean and John have also passed away. But their family still remain in the showman business. The new man on the block [so to speak] is Mr James Mellows "Fun World UK" his company own all the rides that did in previous years use the Meadows site. This was not used this year owing to site conditions not being suitable to accept all the transport necessary to deliver his very heavy technical equipment and rides etc. I believe all enjoy Stamford Mid-Lent fair week. But offten wonder if visitors and others perhaps believe this is the only travelling fair within the UK? Thats not the case? there are in fact hundreds of travelling fairs many of which are still operated by the same showman famlies that have been in the business for centuries. Stamford Mid-Lent-Fair is of couse the subject of a Charter and so are many others up and down the country. Thankfully these days nearly all operate under the Showmans Guild Laws. So perhaps the Dorothy Sharp I mentioned may have been able to avoid her terrible ordeal when ridding the Chair-a-plane-ride in todays world. Thanks Kate for recalling these memories. I feel sure there will be nusmerous added postings.
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| patrick |
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I remember the Fair in the 30s when it was not allowed into the town until after 12 noon on Sundays (after Church services were finished) and had to be gone on the next Sunday before services started. These requirements were said to be laid down in a bye-law. If they were, it is forgotten now. I remember the steam yachts outside the old Labour Exchange next to St.Augustine School where we could hear the Fair music in the afternoons and also the ever-present smell of fried onions from the side stalls. The Cakewalk was usually outside the Model Fish Bar and was still there a few years ago. As for fortune tellers, there was Gypsy Rose Lee in the Square. My wife and two friends popped in to see her one night. She told each that they would soon marry well, have several children and a comfortable life. My wife was not impressed. She said `She didn`t even notice my wedding ring!`.
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| Brian Moore |
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Hi Brian. Couldn't make your link work. Can you test it to make sure it works and re-send? Thanks. Is it a picture of the fair?
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| Angela Hirst |
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Did you know that several of Frank Cook's videos of the fair in the 80s/90s are now on youtube? Here's a link to one of them http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWSzb64UZtw - you can find the rest from there.
Warning! Don't go there unless you have several hours (days?) to waste. They're addictive
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| Veronica Mansbridge |
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I have fond memories of the Mid Lent Fair. I used to save some of my pocket money up all year and then when the fair arrived my mum would divide the money so that we could go down every night. We used to walk from Worcester Crescent through the 'rec' where they had all their caravans and trailers. My mum used to tell me were related to some of the fair people through her mother who came from Nottingham and whenever they came to town they would visit her. They were show people and my mum recalled at night the men would dress up in top hat, tails and bow ties and tap dance and sing on the steps of the Waltzer and Dodgem Cars etc. People used to go to see them as much as the rides. Those were the days so I was told - it was well before my time!! I used to love the Cake Walk which used to be outside the fish shop in Broad Street and the Waltzer then eat fish and chips or a hot dog on the way home. We always bought Rock and Grantham Ginger Bread on a Saturday night. Great memories.
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