Frost fairs were medieval entertainment and social events held on rivers that had frozen over. These were an outstanding spectacle in the past, but now have sadly ceased to exist mainly due to the introduction of bridges with many arches that had the effect of speeding up the flow of water and breaking up any ice that forms.

Without these bridges, the water was calm enough to cause it to freeze solid for days at a time during the winter months when the frost locked the ice firmly together for miles. The thickness of the ice varied from 12 inches to 18 feet. This happened to many English rivers, but most famously of all - the Thames.

Although the Thames was always prone to freezing, the frost fairs did not actually start until the winter of 1564. The history of these fairs has seen Queen Elizabeth walk across the river and Charles II hunted a fox on it. However, frost fairs did not reach their peak until the eighteenth century, and the last frost fair in 1813 lasted for a month.

The townspeople certainly took advantage of this winter effect by assembling stalls, sideshows, and hosting entertainments on the frozen water. In one particular frost fair on the Thames, a large ox was roasted whole upon the ice; and at another time a side show consisted of the roasting of a sheep over a massive charcoal fire in the middle of the river. The fact that whole animals could be cooked on the ice and the presence of a fire shows just how frozen the water was, and how thick the ice must have been to not melt under such immense heat.

Beside the sideshows, there were sometimes fairground attractions; which included swings, merry-go-rounds and puppet-shows. There was also a sporting aspect to the frost fair. People were often found playing skittles, bowls, hockey, football, and there were additionally horse, donkey, and wagon racing events.

It was obviously a loss to the communities surrounding these rivers prone to freezing that the frost fairs came to an end. But new bridges and the building of embankments quickened the river's flow and stopped the ice forming. They were a great way of uniting the community and brought happiness into the lives of many through the winter months - when for the majority of people, times would have been hard.