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Fairgrounds

K

kahlansoulseeker

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My 10 year old son has a school project to do with fairgrounds.
Does anyone has any memories of fairgrounds over the years in Birmingham?
 
When i was in my teens everybody knew about the Tulip festival at Cannon hill park, The whole park was given over to everything Dutch, national costume, food, cloggs, and of course tulips. lots of famous people doing performances in various parts of the park, cafes, beer tents,But the main attraction was the fair, all rides were 6d, they even had people as entertainment, fattest lady in the world, a goat with two heads, the wall of death, that was a motorbike riding around a wall, it was like a giant beer barrel they would start at the bottom going round and round until they reached the top,riding very fast, there was the big wheel,waltsers dodgems
carousels, i can't remember all the names of everything,but i do know that everybody wanted to go as often as they could while it was there, we all became very good at earning a few bob for those few weeks.
I'm sure lots more people will have memories of the fair at The Tulip Festival.
 
As a resident of Sutton Coldfield you will know of the Fair that was located in Sutton Park. The main one that i remember was the Onion Fair in Aston, a lot of the time they would move around and set up for long weekends on parks and waste ground at set times of the year. Dek
 
A great story to relate would be the escape of the lion from the Serpentine, that was later found in Aston Churchyard. Apparently it did not have any teeth.

I have a book that I bought for my mother about the Birmingham Fairs, I will dig it out. I am sure someone will come up with the story.

All the best Peter
 
The 3 I remember really well are the one at the Lickeys back in the tree's and up the hill a bit about 1956/7, the one in Sutton Park we all went to during the 57 Jamboree, and the one which came to Shenley Park Weoley Castle /Bartley Green every year 56/61 cannot remember the names though, I bet mikejee or Liz will though.
paul stacey
 
I remeber the fair in Sutton Park by town gate this was when the town carnival was on. This was a big highlight for us children in the 1950's/60's
 
There was also a fair at regular intervals at Stetchford close by the traffic island, and another one at Hay Mills Wreck.

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A great story to relate would be the escape of the lion from the Serpentine, that was later found in Aston Churchyard. Apparently it did not have any teeth.

I have a book that I bought for my mother about the Birmingham Fairs, I will dig it out. I am sure someone will come up with the story.

All the best Peter

The book in question is The Birmingham Onion Fair by Ned Williams and is available at the Libraries and would tell you as much as you would want to know, including the lion story

Best wishes Peter
 
The fair in Sutton Park along with the carnival was still going in the early - mid 90's I remember taking my daughters then aged 4 and 6 and the 6 year old adamant that she would be fine on the gyroscopic simulator - which she was and managed the 2 minutes to gat a "free" ride 4 times without being ill. The ride owner was speechless and gave her a pass for free goes when the fair was in Tamworth. Even now, she loves the fast and furious rides!!
 
Bob Wilsons was the fair at the Tulip Festival in Cannon Hill Park, i remember smaller fairs popping up in various parts of Birmingham, I think the one at Shenley park still comes round every so often, apart from the rides i mentioned there were also the stalls, hoop throwing, catch a duck, darts, rifles, lots of prizes to be won from goldfish to soft toys, i still have a little rag doll that my boyfriend now husband won, Eric and Ernie i seen there, Joe Brown i think it was him,, and then the marvellous smells, hot dogs with onions,chips pies,candy floss, toffee apples, popcorn, it was a really magical place, the lights sparkling in the dark and often quite cold in April, lots of laughter, screams from the ghost train, and some of the faster rides, i think part of the fun was being scared, and lots of smiling faces making their way to the gates at closing time.And hopefully if you had enough cash you could do it all again the following night.
 
Wendy do you remember them putting the Circus on the first meadow on the right as you go in the Town Gate i remember going to the Circus on there. Dek
 
Where about in Brum are you ? The Wilson family, of the Wilson Funfair are based on Shipway Road, just off the Coventry Road in Hay Mills Birmingham, don't know how approachable they are with people knocking on the door. I think they spend the winters at this address then travel around during the summer.
 
The fairground at Stetchford was owned by the Drakeley family, many attempts were made to stop them holding funfairs there but they all failed because Drakeley`s owned the freehold to the land, they lived in nearby Albert Rd. Len.
 
Wendy do you remember them putting the Circus on the first meadow on the right as you go in the Town Gate i remember going to the Circus on there. Dek
Yes, it was a yearly event for the circus to be on the Meadow Platt. Once in a while there would be one in Rectory Park as well.Living just off the Parade,in Victoria Road I often got free tickets. It was either Billy Smarts or Bertram Mills circus each year.
 
hi there
the mop fair is still held at the green in kings norton birmingham every year
and it still goes on today despite the cut backls and the resession
astonion
 
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