The History of the Fair
Barnstaple Fair is one of the oldest in the country and is believed to date back as far as 930 (at least according to the board displayed at the fair – see below). Originally, the fair was held for trading purposes and, in the eighteenth century, was known as the Pot Fair because of the large amounts of china sold there. As a youngster, I can certainly remember the “Cheap Jack” stalls where many bargains, from bedding, towels, and tea sets, to ornaments, pots and pans, could all be bought at knock-down prices. It was fascinating to stand and listen to the pedlar selling his wares and the people in the gathered crowd were always intent on being the first to put their hand up for a bargain.
Traditionally, an opening ceremony is held in the Guildhall in the centre of the town and presided over by the Mayor, who makes a Proclamation welcoming the fair to the town.
A garland of flowers decorates the archway into the Guildhall, and inside, there are floral displays in several of the rooms. A hand of welcome in the form of a garlanded, stuffed white glove is placed on a stick and displayed from an upstairs window of the Guildhall, staying in place for all the days of the fair to offer a welcome to the travellers.
At the opening ceremony, which is attended by members of the Town Council, there is a Toast and Ale Ceremony, during which ale, brewed from a special recipe, is enjoyed; the ancient and secret recipe for the ale is passed down from one senior beadle to the next.
After the opening ceremony, the Mayor leads a Procession from the Guildhall to the High Cross and on to the sites of the South and West Gates, along Queen Anne’s Walk and on to the fairground where the fair is declared open. The fairground is now situated on the far side of the River Taw on the Seven Brethren Bank, though it was not always held there. Originally, the fair was held in The Square and remained for three days on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday before 20 September. The fairground then moved to Castle Street, then North Walk, and finally to its current site on the Seven Brethren Bank.
By the nineteenth century, there was a Cattle Fair on Wednesday, a Horse Fair on Thursday, and a Pleasure Fair on Friday, attended by folk from a large rural area, all coming together to enjoy themselves at the event, which marked the end of Summer. Nowadays, there is only the pleasure fair with a number of rides and stalls.
Preventing the spread of the Plague was a difficult problem in the past, and there is a record in 1591 of 13 shillings being paid to 13 watchmen appointed “to keep out from the fair those that came from places with the Plague.”
Since 1970, the fair has been allowed to stay open on Saturdays, and the Barnstaple Carnival also takes place in the early evening. In addition to the procession of decorated carnival floats, there are stalls and entertainment, ending with a fireworks display.
My Memories of Barnstaple Fair
As a child, I loved the fair and remember the rides costing 6d each. That’s six old pennies, not the new ones since decimalisation in 1971. I read somewhere that the rides cost 3d in 1920, so the cost had doubled by the 1960s. However, this year, the rides cost between £3.50 on Wednesday afternoon to £5 on Saturday night, so I’ll leave you to work out the increase since 1920.
I also enjoyed going to the fair as a teenager. With my friends, I would go on all the rides, including the Noah’s Ark, the Waltzers, the Big Wheel, the Bumping Cars, and the Helter Skelter, to name just a few.
The only one I never went on was the Rotor, which spins so fast that the centrifugal force keeps the passengers stuck to the walls. I never quite trusted that one!
However, my two favourites were the Octopus and the Cyclone, which were considered very daring back in the day but tame compared with today’s rides.
A family favourite was the Galloping Horses, which was suitable for all ages. The ride was powered by a centrally mounted steam organ, which was driven by its own steam engine.
Books of perforated music fed themselves into a mechanism, and there were puppets whose arms rose up and down. The galloping horses, of course, also went up and down, as well as the roundabout going around.
I remember coconut shies, the rifle range, the boxing booth, wrestling, hook-a-duck, hoopla, darts, and bingo. The prize was often a goldfish in a plastic bag, which sadly seldom survived to the end of the week and was a nuisance to carry around the fair when you had won it. I was delighted one year when my sister and her boyfriend won me a Kewpie Doll. This would have been in the late 1950s, and all I can remember about the doll is that it was made of material, quite big, and had a pointed head. My brother was also thrilled to win a coconut by knocking it off its pedestal with a ball – not an easy feat by any means.
In addition to the rides and stalls with all manner of ways to win a prize, there were stalls selling “fairings.” These were foods such as brandy snaps, toffee apples, sugared almonds, candyfloss, and hot dogs.
The machine that made candy floss was intriguing. Sugar was added to a hollow drum, and as it spun around, the stall holder would collect the finely spun sugar onto a stick. I can still remember the smell! It’s just not the same these days, buying it in a bag!
By the late 1970s, I had started my own family. We lived quite close to the fairground on Seven Brethren Bank, so I could easily walk there with my two sons. This was an advantage, as parking was always a problem.
This was me in 1978 with my sons Stuart, aged two and half, and Paul, aged one.
My youngest son, David, had not been born at this time.
Happy Days!
Traditionally, the Barnstaple Carnival is held on the Saturday of “Fair Week” and used to be extremely popular, with many decorated floats and an elected Carnival Queen. However, it gradually fell out of favour as the need for insurance and stricter health and safety rules had to be observed. The COVID-19 epidemic was the last straw, and there was no carnival for five years.
However, 2024 saw a revival and here is a photo of one of the floats featuring Uncle Tom Cobley and All.
It was good to see the Barnstaple Carnival back again, and the event was well attended on a lovely warm Autumn evening.
The celebrations concluded with a spectacular fireworks display.
I hope you have enjoyed my ramblings about the Barnstaple Fair and will perhaps visit it one day; I’m sure you won’t be disappointed, and a tip from me – if you have a hot-dog, ask for the onions to be put into the roll before the sausage – they don’t fall out then!
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