Memorandum by Dr Vanessa Toulmin, Research
Director, National Fairground Archive, University of Sheffield
(TF 39)
For the past 10 years I have been involved in
researching the language and culture of the travelling showpeople
of the Great Britain. The first part of my research resulted in
a doctoral thesis (1993-97) at the University of Sheffield titled
"Fun Without Vulgarity" Community Language and the
Role of Women in Showland Society from 1890 to the Present Day.
As a result of that thesis and the material my research unearthed,
in 1994 the University of Sheffield with the support of the Showmen's
Guild of Great Britain and various fairground organisations, set
up the National Fairground Archive to be housed in the University
Library. Since that date I have been employed by the University
of Sheffield to run the NFA and to develop it as primary resource
centre for educational and historical matters relating to the
history of fairs and popular entertainment. Therefore in response
to the issues outlined in the Press release I would like to submit
the following report based on my personal observation, the research
data I accumulated during my doctoral thesis and the experience
and knowledge gained by running the National Fairground Archive.
I would like to emphasise that my particular area of expertise
has been in recording, analysing and researching the history of
the community as opposed to the material culture of the fairground
itself (ie rides, living vans, transport etc).[4]
THE CONTINUED
VALUE OF
HISTORIC TRAVELLING
FAIRS AND
THE PROVISIONS
OF SITES
FOR TRAVELLING
FAIRS
From February through to November each year,
hundreds of fairs take place every month throughout the United
Kingdom. A large proportion of these fairs can trace their ancestry
back to charters and privileges granted in the Medieval period
or even earlier. These can be either Charter, hiring or prescriptive
fairs, festivities associated with holidays and feast days or
private business events. Other fairs such as the Wakes and Whit
fairs held in Lancashire and Yorkshire and the Hoppings in the
North of England are relatively modern in comparison. The dating
of fairs was originally related to the working season of the year
as well as to religious or pagan festivals. By the twelfth and
thirteenth centuries the majority of the English fairs had been
granted charters and were reorganised to fall into line with their
European counterparts. For the last 150 years the feature and
main function of these fairs has been pleasure and historically
they fell in line with traditional working people's holidays.
For example the Wake fairs are linked to factory holidays. Many
fairs were lost through the Fairs Act 1871 but despite this, there
have continued to exist the following types of historic fairs:
Charter or Prescriptive Fairs (granted by custom
or Royal CharterNottingham, Cambridge and Hull are examples
of this).
Festival or Holiday Fairs associated with a industry
(Durham Miner's Gala for example).
Private Business (taken by individual showmen)
and although with no historic protection attached they often have
been in existence since the 1870s and replaced some of the historic
fairs that were lost in particular regions.
In my opinion these fairs still remain an important
part of the traditional community which they visit. The majority
of Charter fairs are protected but in recent years the fairs associated
with holiday events and private business have been severely affected
due to restrictions placed by councils where the historic site
has been lost due to modern redevelopment. The fairs bring the
latest up to date live entertainment to millions of working class
people throughout the country without the cost of travelling to
the event (as in Blackpool) or entrance fees (Alton Towers or
theme parks). The visitor can spend as much or as little as they
can afford within the familiar environment of their own town or
village.
As a fairground historian I lecture regularly
throughout the country to Women's Institute, Rotary Clubs, Local
History Societies etc (on average 30 a year for the past five
years) and I have never found the popularity or continued value
of the fairs in any doubt within any of the local communities
I have visited for the course of my work. Also as Research Director
of the National Fairground Archive I receive 400 enquires a month,
the majority of which come from the general public. In the words
of one small child from Hull who visited the fair when I was working
on an educational project "Hull Fair is magic because it
comes just once a year." Fairs have a heritage and tradition
which has shaped the popular culture of the United Kingdom. Cinema,
theatre, bingo and many other forms of popular entertainment started
on the fair. The showmen are used to facing competition and incorporating
the latest novelties in their business to keep the general public
entertained. However the sites that they use need protection,
and provisions must be made for traditional historic sites and
their importance within the local communities, when the issues
of planning and redevelopment of city centres (the historic home
of the fair) are discussed.
Secondly, when a showmen approaches a council
for a new site (often to replace the loss of a historic site)
the decision whether or not to hold such event can depend on how
that local Councillor or official views fairs. However, personal
prejudice or political worries of losing an area's votes should
not be the means of obstructing new business. There should instead
be a system of appeal put in place similar to the granting of
licenses so that when a showman is refused permission to open
a new fair, the council must give adequate reasons why this application
has been refused either on grounds of safety or economics.
THE PARTICULAR
NEEDS OF
TRAVELLING SHOWPEOPLE
IN CARRYING
OUT THEIR
TRADE AND
HOW IT
RELATES TO
THE EFFECTIVENESS
OF EXISTING
PLANNING GUIDANCE
ON THE
PROVISION OF
QUARTERS FOR
TRAVELLING SHOWPEOPLE
In this section I would like to demonstrate
how changes in fairground technology since Circular 22/91 was
published, has resulted in the need for all year round depots
in conjunction with additional winter quarters.
The whole nature of fairground society revolves
around the moving from one location to another in the course of
their business. Historically the fairground season with the exception
of Valentine Fairs in King's Lynn and more recently in Leeds would
start with the Easter fairs and then finish with what the showmen
refer to as the back end run, the October and early November period.
Therefore the provision of sites, for example, would largely be
covered by what is known as Winter Quarters or private yards or
fields which the showmen would return to for between four to five
months. As befits a society that has introduced the latest technological
innovations to the public (cinemas, x-rays, electricity for example
were first utilised by the showmen as a form of entertainment)
today's showmen have used the latest forms of technology to increase
the productivity of the business. For example many of today's
rides have become trailer mounted and do not need the man power
associated with more historic attractions such as the Dodgem or
Waltzer. This has affected all levels of the society so that a
modern juvenile (children's ride) can be towed behind a car, taken
to the event and open and built up in little less than an hour.
This is also true with stalls and games. The end result of this
modernisation of the equipment has had both a beneficial and negative
impact on the society itself.
Ten years ago one family would have travelled
with a small kiosk, children's ride or two stalls to one fair
because of the labour intensive build up. Today, a modern fairground
family can own three or four pieces of equipment which they then
take to different locations throughout the country, fairs, fetes,
car boots sales, Sunday markets or shopping precincts. On a positive
light this has resulted in a diversification of the business opportunities.
However, the negative aspect of this on the community is the increase
of ground necessary for living space, lorries, transportation.
To put it briefly a family 10 years ago would have required a
living van, and lorry. Now the family needs storage facilities
for three types of equipment and transport. The most immediate
impact on that has been the types of living quarters available
and further space for the family home plus the trailers, transport
and additional rides.
Firstly many showmen no longer travel seven
months of the year and settle for five. The society has diversified
in order to find new outlets for the business. These consist of
one or two day events, afternoon shows or markets lasting four
to five hours. As a result of this the showmen need living quarters
that they can return to as a base all year round. This form of
travelling, referred to as gaff catching within the community,
has seen the showmen becoming more associated with their winter
base on a year round basis and not being able to use this base
outside the months allocated. Therefore, the issues of the particular
needs of travelling showpeople in carrying out their trade must
examine the changes in the traditional society and the impact
this has on their living areas allocated for winter quarters.
The difficulties of all year round occupation
within the planning system is such that many showmen still apply
for winter quarters when in reality they need semi residential
status. It is my opinion that modern planning guidelines including
Circular 22/91 do not effectively cover the needs of travelling
showmen. By not supplying adequate transit sites or granting semi
residential permission due to the problems of the showpeople being
both residential and business, the showmen are being restricted
through lack of accommodation in carrying out their traditional
business. A second issue of the lack of all year round sites and
the expansion of the family unit, is that many historic fairs
and new city centre ventures are restricting living vans onto
the fairground site and often placing the living quarters some
distance away from the fairground itself. The showmen therefore
need the base for storage facilities for the larger living vans
as opposed to the smaller trailers because when this occurs they
often have nowhere to put their traditional home. Showmen have
adapted by using smaller lighter trailers for this kind of fair
but retain the larger living van as the family home in the winter
months but still have the problem of finding a place for it during
the duration of the fair.
The showmen travel as a family group, it is
very rare for showpeople to use outside nursing homes or residential
care for looking after the elderly within the community. However,
with the restrictions on living vans at major fairs, lack of sites
and the increase in the elderly population, the problems of housing
and caring for the elderly population is becoming an issue. Some
Sections of the Showmen's Guild have discussed the possibility
of obtaining planning permission for a retirement site for the
elderly showmen, so they can remain within the traditional society
and not become separated by being placed in residential care in
an environment completely alien to their way of life (often many
of the elderly showpeople have lived all of their life in a living
van and have never slept in a house). However, there are no provisions
for this within the planning controls and winter quarters do not
address their particular social, medical or cultural needs at
this stage of their life.
Although these issues are similar to those faced
by the settled population the showmen do not have the flexibility
of buying land (even if they can afford the prices) near to their
place of business and family concerns. This is partly due to the
restrictions within the planning laws but also the fact that many
showmen do not own fixed assets. Travelling showpeople's wealth
is not based on ownership of property and land but on the privileges
and rights to attend major fairs. The machines and living vans
can be bought with the aid of finance companies who offer a far
higher rate of interest than high street banks but it is far more
difficult to secure loans for any other aspect of the business.
Therefore, it is more problematic for showpeople to borrow money
or obtain a mortgage because they are essentially self-employed
or small business people whose assets cannot be assessed by a
bank or building society.
In summary I feel that more appropriate regard
to the needs of travelling showpeople within the planning system
must be considered. The showmen have for two hundred years continued
their traditional way of life and incorporated changes that technological
advances have made, both professionally and personally. However,
distrust and often prejudice at local level is restricting their
business and the continued existence of their customary mode of
living. This I believe will have not only a long term consequences
for the fairground community and industry but on the millions
of people who enjoy the visit of a travelling fair to their community
or region. These issues could be addressed by taking into account
the following suggestions:
The Continued Value of Historic Travelling Fairs
and the Provisions of Sites for Travelling Fairs
A system of appeal should be put in place similar
to the granting of licenses, so that when a showman is refused
permission to open a new fair, the council must give adequate
reasons why this application has been refused either on grounds
of safety or economics.
The Particular Needs of Travelling Showpeople
in Carrying out their Trade and how it relates to the Effectiveness
of Existing Planning Guidance on the Provision of Quarters for
Travelling Showpeople
The following provisions should be addressed
within the guidelines:
A semi residential all year round site (suitable
for business and residential needs).
Residential Care (in this case it can purely
be referred to as a place where a family can park up to look after
the elderly relative or a living site which caters solely for
the elderly population with access to local health facilities.
Continuation of the Family Unit (and although
not relevant to this particular committee the continuity of education
for travelling showchildren).
All year round storage and flexibility of obtaining
equipment during the so called non residential period.
4 Dr Vanessa Toulmin is also the Specialist Adviser
to the Committee for this Inquiry. Back
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