FAIRGROUND ATTRACTION
BELPER’S FAIRGROUND HERITAGE
THIS long overdue history of Belper Fair fills in gaps in our knowledge about the contribution show people have made to the town. The fair has been coming to Belper for hundreds of years and show people have lived here, worked, married, fought in two world wars, kept pubs, brought up their children, grown old and are buried in the cemetery.
This book challenges the misconceptions that show people are forever on the move.
Of particular interest to the author are two prominent Belper families: the Halls and the Proctors. The Halls were landlords of The Nag’s Head, The Grapes and The Maltsters (which disappeared when Nottingham Road housing made way for the Deb factory). In the 19th century we often find show people describing themselves as ‘confectioner’ to Census enumerators. William Hall (born in 1844) made brandy snaps at premises behind the Maltsters public house. In the 19th century the Proctors ran a circus and their descendants still bring the fair to Belper twice a year.
The author demonstrates his extensive knowledge of Belper’s fair, giving lots of detail on the people who owned and ran the fairs which will be of great interest to local family historians. There are fascinating photos of some of the rides and shows with names such as Sea on Land, Peacocks, Dragon Scenic, Collins Gallopers, Razzle Dazzle. Laughter Land and Waxworks.
Belper was also a busy place for building and repairing fairground rides and wagons and the photo above shows a little girl sitting on a living wagon built by the joiner William Watson at his workshop on High Street. More fairground equipment was made and repaired in premises behind Colledges.
Another aspect of interest to Belper historians is the story of how the Market place and Coppice were owned by the Lord of the Manor and eventually came to be in the hands of the council.
At the moment the book is stocked by News Corner (the newsagent at the top of King Street), Coopers butchers, Wards Shoe shop and the Slenderella shop.
It is also available direct from Neil Calladine, 29 Mill Street, Belper, Derbyshire DE5 1DT; or by PayPal to neilcalladine@aol. com.
The book costs £14 plus, if appropriate, £2.50 post and packing.
This book challenges the misconceptions that show people are forever on the move.
Vivien Scott