Fairground Attractions

[Forty-Niner]

As youngsters, my brother and I used to spend summer school holidays with an aunt and uncle at Andover in Hampshire. Each year, as part of the carnival week, there would be a travelling fair. We used to visit each evening mainly to watch as funds were limited.
One of the attractions was Pat McGowan’s Boxing Booth. The resident boxer, had a withered leg and fought fought under the unimaginative name of “Harry the Leg”. He was prepared to take on any challengers, who if successful would win a prize.
We managed to get in for free in return for doing some chores. I cleared up the rubbish and rearranged the chairs after each match and my brother had to wash the gum shields between rounds.
Another source of interest was the freak show. The showman , between Hank Williams records, invited people to see such delights as Leo the Lion Man, The Pig Faced Boy and The Bearded Lady. Also Pat and Joan, the Siamese Twins who we were told had come straight from the State Fair, Philadelphia, U,S.A. They were not post cards, stuffed dummies or waxworks and £100 would be given to any charitable institution if they were being misrepresented in any way.
By the last night of the week curiosity got the better of us and we stomped up 3 pence each to go in.
Leo the Lion Man, The Pig Faced Boy and the Bearded Lady were embalmed human heads in glass display cases.
The pieces de resistance, Pat and Joan the Siamese Twins, were in a separately screened off area. They turned out to be stillborn conjoined babies suspended in a glass tank of alcohol.
As Kenny Everett would say, all done in the best possible taste.

Does any of this conjure up Fairground memories to anyone else?

[Lucky7]

Love fairgrounds but hate that song PERFECT yuk

[Lucky7]

I’ve never been to a fairground like your explaining was this pre industrial revolution
I’m more waltzers dodgems and the like

[Lovejoy]

They are perfect!

[Thor]

I remember winning a fish at a fairground.

[Clive Evans]

I was at Sete south of France, when they had a festival and a mini fun-fair, in the 1980's. They had similar side-shows, which by then was a rarity in the Uk. They had a 5 legged sheep and a bearded lady etc...all in the worst possible taste. An interesting comparison to modern times is the fact in the 1950's at 'Ampstead ' Eath Fair, the punters used to queue up to pay their 3d's ( three old pence, about 1p ) to see the Tattooed Lady.

[Constanza]

I worked on the dodgems one summer in Tramore but was sacked after 2 days for allegedly letting my mates on for free.
I sued for funfair dismissal.


* did not actually happen

[Forty-Niner]

Ah please Daddy won't you take us to the fun-fair,
We want to have a ride on the bumper cars,
We'll buy a stick of candy floss and eat it on the Octopus,
Then we'll take the rocket ship that goes to Mars.

[Lovejoy]

I remember winning a fish at a fairground.

Was it turbot charged when it swum around?

[EliotNes]

I remember winning a fish at a fairground.

Ditto. The fair was on Wanstead Flats