“a carnival on the water”
The frost fairs boasted numerous attractions to lure Londoners onto the ice
01 Archery on ice
The Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I, went out on the ice every day when the river froze in 1564 to shoot targets. This year also saw the first proper frost fair, where royal courtiers mixed with London’s commoners.
02 Printing press
Printers were a popular attraction at many frost fairs, printing customers’ names onto commemorative souvenirs. While early fair-goers were mostly illiterate and settled for simple postcards, by 1814 ballads and books were sold on the ice.
03 Marching elephant
While the 1814 fair only lasted a few days, some modern sources have claimed that the ice was so strong that “a very fine elephant was led across the Thames a little below Blackfriars Bridge.” However, there is little contemporary evidence to back up this extraordinary assertion.
04 Animal baiting
Bear-baiting, bull-baiting and the curious if cruel-sounding ‘men throwing at cocks’ were among the more bloodthirsty entertainments available at the fair.
05 Fox hunting
The river hosted a foxhunt in 1683-84, though it’s unclear if the animal was wild or trapped and released for the sport. Some have suggested Charles II participated but this seems unlikely.
06 Winter sports
There are several accounts of football being played on the ice during the fairs, along with hockey, nine-pin bowling, and horse and donkey racing.
07 Fairground attractions
Adding to the carnival feel, large wooden swings that could hold up to six revellers were a common sight at frost fairs in 18th century.
08 Ride the draw boat
Fair-goers could ride in boats fitted with wheels and decorated with streamers. These could be blown along using sails or pulled with ropes by the out-ofwork watermen.
09 One-horse open sleigh
While Henry VIII travelled from central London to Greenwich by sleigh along the frozen river in 1536, hackney coach drivers frequently taxied ordinary Londoners along the ice as well.
10 Temporary taverns
Frost fairs boasted “more liquor than the fish beneath do drink”. with stalls selling beer, ale, brandy and gin. Others established temporary taverns with benches to sit on.
11 Beware thin ice
As well as the risk of slipping over, many Londoners drowned when the ice cracked. In 1739, a large sheet collapsed as the river defrosted, swallowing up several tents full of people.
12 Ice skating
Before the invention of iron skates in 1667, London’s youth tied animal bones to their feet and reportedly reached “a velocity equal to the flight of a bird.”
13 Roasting ox
As well as stalls selling gingerbread, hot pudding pies and spiced apples, revellers could warm themselves while watching the spectacles such as the roasting of a sheep or a whole ox.
“THE watermen also SET up a number Of attractions TO Lure customers ONTO THE river”