The fairground is called various things in different parts of the country, in Yorkshire its "The Feast", in Newcastle "The Hoppings", and most other parts of the North East its called "The Shows", no doubt there are others.
At one time, before the advent of steam power and then electricity, the funfair consisted entirely of side shows and games. As rides began to come to the fore, an attempt was made by the Showmen's Guild to preserve the heritage of the sideshow, by inserting in its rule book an order that a certain percentage of all fairgrounds must be reserved for shows. During my lifetime I have seen giants, midgets, boxing, exotic dancers, mice, fleas and other various types of show. Nowadays they are virtually all gone, public attitudes have meant that things like exceptionally tall or short people are no longer to be viewed as entertainment, or perhaps its the fact that in the modern world they no longer hold any wonder for people who have seen pictures of man walking on the moon, bottoms of oceans and other wonders. Whatever the reason I think that they are an extinct part of the modern fairground and one which I can't ever see making a comeback.
A couple of images below show Shufflebottoms Wild West Show, an extremely popular form of entertainment on the fairgrounds of yesteryear. The second image is extremely interesting, showing Florence standing against a wall whilst the knife thrower outlines her body with his knives. If you look you will see she has her young son Garry standing between her legs, a modern Health and Safety inspector would have apoplexy at the sight, and if you know my "uncle Garry" this early exposure to danger probably explains a lot! Only Kidding.
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At one time, before the advent of steam power and then electricity, the funfair consisted entirely of side shows and games. As rides began to come to the fore, an attempt was made by the Showmen's Guild to preserve the heritage of the sideshow, by inserting in its rule book an order that a certain percentage of all fairgrounds must be reserved for shows. During my lifetime I have seen giants, midgets, boxing, exotic dancers, mice, fleas and other various types of show. Nowadays they are virtually all gone, public attitudes have meant that things like exceptionally tall or short people are no longer to be viewed as entertainment, or perhaps its the fact that in the modern world they no longer hold any wonder for people who have seen pictures of man walking on the moon, bottoms of oceans and other wonders. Whatever the reason I think that they are an extinct part of the modern fairground and one which I can't ever see making a comeback.
A couple of images below show Shufflebottoms Wild West Show, an extremely popular form of entertainment on the fairgrounds of yesteryear. The second image is extremely interesting, showing Florence standing against a wall whilst the knife thrower outlines her body with his knives. If you look you will see she has her young son Garry standing between her legs, a modern Health and Safety inspector would have apoplexy at the sight, and if you know my "uncle Garry" this early exposure to danger probably explains a lot! Only Kidding.
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