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Onion Fair

I was fortunate enough to live in Holte road and as I have said previously my family were very good friends of the Humphreys family who owned the firing range. We kept in touch right up to the time that Clara and Ruth passed away. We used to visit them in Nuneaton where they lived in their wagon as they called it. I used to go on most of the rides for free. Great times. PS The mind boggles Aidan.
 
Aidan said:
Given what I said in post #91 above this reproduction of "Birmingham Onion Fair" from The Illustrated London News of 1872 paints a very rosy and probably wishful view but is very nostalgic I think. Perhaps all the sideshows of unfortunates were in the marquees at the back of the picture?
Click to expand...

Does anyone have access to the Illustrated London News Archive to look up the 1872 picture to see if there was an article along with it please - I'm hoping it may have some useful detail.
 
Hello everyone apologies if this considered off topic.
I was born in Yew Tree road at the end of the 40's and until recently I have never heard the expression 'pleck' and it has appeared in at least two books I have read and now on this thread.
Whenever I went to Onion Fair ( Pat Collins) Fair it was always on the 'tip', and it was the 'tip' you crossed to get to the doctors or the church.
Any comments?

Linda
 
Thanks Alf - it at least ties it down to the July-December 1872 issue and excitingly says that it was a 2-page article.

The ILN is available from some Library Card members PCs (sadly not from mine)
 
Ah-ha

Illustrated London News on 5th October 1872 https://www.hunimex.com/warwick/onion_fair.html

"The greatest manufacturing town of the Midland shires has retained a considerable trade in the agricultural produce of the surrounding country. Its Corn Exchange quotations are of some importance; and it has a Smithfield of its own, where live cattle and swine,or their carcasses are shown for sale one or two days in the week; while hay and straw,and other rural commodities,take their turn in the traffic of the place. But the unique feature of this particular aspect of Birmingham,as an agricultural market,is the Michaelmas Onion Fair. It is held on the last Thursday in September,in the wideopen place called the Bull Ring,which's situated in the centre of town,in front of St. Martin's Church. This growth of this savoury vegetable is the object of much attention by many of the neighbouring market-gardeners and farmers, who find the soil and climate well adapted to its cultivation. Nowhere can such large quantities be seen or of finer quality,than in the special Fair at Birmingham,which took place as usual on Thursday week. The onions are piled in stacks,heaped in wooden crates or wicker baskets, spread upon wide stalls,or suspended in perpendicular ropes from cross-poles overhead, in the variety of arrangement for effective display. The air is fully charged with their pungent odour, causing the unaccustomed eye,perhaps, to shed an involuntary tear,while engaged in the inspection of their diverse kinds,though not a sorry sight. The dealers and customers at this Fair are mostly the country folk of Warwickshire, with a few tradesmen of the town and some of the workmen's wives for the onion gives a palatable relish to a poor man's dinner or supper."
 
Aidan, here's a bigger (but monochrome) version of that wonderful 1872 "Birmingham Onion Fair" picture.
 
I never knew of the Onion Fair, possibly as it was held in Aston - unknown territory I'm afraid. I did know of Pat Collins famous fair - I recall, after WW2 it arriving in Shirley, Solihull usually during the long school holiday periods. I had noted the Ingleby Street, Ladywood address on the truck cab doors ( I was just as interested in the vehicles and fairground machinery as much as the rides). I went to Ingleby Street on one occasion to see what sort of place it was. It was just a dwelling house, a back to back style most likely, in a long terrace. I don't know whether Pat actually lived there: to me, at the time it seemed unlikely.

Is the fair still in operation? I guess Ingleby Street has long gone.

The Onion sellers, with their bicycles, are less frequent these days. They tend to be found with the French Food fairs which visit SW England each year. The Plymouth - Roscoff Ferry is their usual route to the UK.
 
Radiorails said:
I never knew of the Onion Fair, possibly as it was held in Aston - unknown territory I'm afraid. I did know of Pat Collins famous fair - I recall, after WW2 it arriving in Shirley, Solihull usually during the long school holiday periods. I had noted the Ingleby Street, Ladywood address on the truck cab doors ( I was just as interested in the vehicles and fairground machinery as much as the rides). I went to Ingleby Street on one occasion to see what sort of place it was. It was just a dwelling house, a back to back style most likely, in a long terrace. I don't know whether Pat actually lived there: to me, at the time it seemed unlikely.

Is the fair still in operation? I guess Ingleby Street has long gone.
:)The Onion sellers, with their bicycles, are less frequent these days. They tend to be found with the French Food fairs which visit SW England each year. The Plymouth - Roscoff Ferry is their usual route to the UK.
Click to expand...
Hi radiorails the onion fair has long gone.also don't see Pat Collins fair it used to be great going to the fairs when they were in Aston.There is a Wilsons fair that comes to stetchford every year, but not a patch on the old ones,
all the best for now;
Richard;)
 
Robert? Wilson is buried in Robin Hood cemetry aka Solihull cemetry i think?. Len.
 
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Yes Richard, Ingleby Street has long gone. I was very familiar with that street as I lived just off Icknield Street. I certainly don't remember Pat Collins living there. They were old back to back houses, and I passed them many times going off to school. There was a public house in that street called 'The Ingleby' which was run by friends of mine.
 
Before the war we used to go to the Onion Fair every year and I reckon I'm the only kid in the whole world see his father knock one of those coconuts off its post, not once but twice in a row. He was then told to go away, not very politely I might add. Those coalman's arms had quite a sting in them. My granny also told me that the lion was caught in Aston Church Yard by throwing a big net over it and also said it was very old and most of its teeth were missing. True or false the stories are all fantastic. Regards, David.
 
Hi Ragga and Richard.

It was some 60 years ago that I went to see what 90, Ingleby Street looked like. I might, indeed, have the Fair owners name incorrect as memory can be temperamental sometimes. ;)

Pat Collins was indeed very much connected with Walsall according to Wiki and the info there makes interesting reading. He was, it seems, of Irish descent and was buried in Bloxwich in 1943. A son continued the business but I did not research details on him. There is a web site provided by the present day owners which says the Fair commenced in 1875.

I guess I have been attuned to Anderton & Rowland and Whiteleggs Fun Fairs for the last half century. :D

Hopefully someone will know who operated most Fun Fairs in the 40's and 50's in what is now the West Midlands.
 
Re: Re Onion Fair

My mom use to tell me story's about the Onion Fair or Pat Collins fair and said my great nan and granddad sold land to them .. Being child never took much notice as you do .. well i stumbled on a web site Astonbrook through the Astonmanor were read the name was confirmed. Holland Family sold land ..
 
Hey Baron I'm now having a good laugh at myself. When dad said we were going to see a strong man picking up a cart horse I imagined he'd just march up to it, throw it over his shoulder and we'd all clap. I felt quite cheated when I saw that platform. Regards David.
 
Thanks Bernie very interesing... When we were young and playing a bit noisely at home our Mom used to say "What do you think this is Pat Collins Fairground" and if we ever brought a chalk ornament home that we may have won at the fair it was chucked straight out as our Mom said it was unlucky.
 
I have 2 memories of the Fair, the Ox Roasting or sometimes a Deer, and the stalls where you rolled pennies down a shute on to a grid of numbers, if you were lucky enought to drop on a number without touching a line you got the value of that number in pennies usually a 2 or 3 with a (very) occassional larger number, 4, 5 or even 6, I lost a fortune in pennies on those stalls. Eric
 
Bernie thanks for that link. Living next door almost to the fair ground it is the one thread that brings a tear to my eye. What a fantastic place to live as a child and the excitement when the fair was coming to ASTON. I can still smell the hot dogs hear the noise of the waltzers and many many more things that would take me all night to write about. Happy days. Jean.
 
Image188-4.jpg
 
Hi jean ; yes thats what you used to call a fair one spectactual fair
it,s one never missed when it came around and seeing those guys selling sacks of onions big spannish ones
not cooking onions and they had them hanging around there necks they wore striped sweaters blue and whites and there little berets
so fun packed and enterainments of alsorts you had to fight your way down church lane and even through the crowds in the fair ;
have a nice day jean ; alan ; astonian
 
Thanks Alan. Would it be possible to re post the photo of the shooting range with my moms old friends on please?. This is a photo of Mrs Humphries who owned the shooting range and then handed it down to her daughters Clara and Ruth. Jean.
 

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My late Dad used to say that when the lion was on the loose, his brothers left him in his pushchair in the park, in Aston, and their mother sent them back to get him!
 
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