Thursday,
17th October 2002
Ilkeston Charter Fair |
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| A
view of the charter fair in 2000 |
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Ilkeston's
annual Charter Fair has a long and varied history behind it - a history
that now spans 750 years! Take a closer look at the event that makes
Erewash buzz.
Photographs by kind permission of Garth Newton |
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Ilkeston's
750th Charter Fair is underway.
It was opened at noon by the Mayor of Erewash, Councillor George Buckley,
and 14-year-old David Crew of Long Eaton who won the right to open
the fair when he came first in a competition to design the front cover
of the fair's programme.
Dating back to 1252, the Charter Fair is older than Nottingham's Goose
Fair and to mark the anniversary it will run for five days instead
of the usual four - until 10pm on Sunday 20th October.
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| David
Crew rings the bells to open the fair |
The extra
Sunday date will be a special family fun day, with street entertainers
in the town centre during the afternoon and a thanksgiving service
outside the Town Hall at 2pm. The fair will run from 2.30pm.
The
original fair consisted of little more than peddlars, agricultural
traders and a few opportunist entertainers.
Now, it is widely regarded as one of the UK's premier modern-day fairs
and boasts some of the biggest and best travelling fairground rides
in the country.
A magnet for visitors to Ilkeston, it enjoys the distinction of a
slot in the calendar of nationally known Autumn fairs, along with
Nottingham's Goose Fair and the Great Hull Pleasure Fair.
The fair combines the latest 'white knuckle' rides with traditional
favourites including the gallopers, waltzer, and dodgems, which take
over the Market Place, Upper Bath Street, East Street, South Street,
Queen Street, Wharncliffe Road and Pimlico, transforming the town
into a flashing plethora of colour.
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| Contact
Us |
BBC Derby
PO Box 104.5
Derby
DE1 3HL
(+44) 01332 361111
derby@bbc.co.uk |
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