Hull Fair: Kingston Upon Hull's annual fair arrives in October

A LITTLE HULL FAIR HISTORY

"This carnival of merriment is the largest travelling fair in Europe and one of the oldest - the fair celebrated its seven hundredth anniversary in 1993. The first charter granting permission for a fair to be held, from 9 to 23 March, was granted in 1278. The anniversary celebrated by Hull City Council dates from1293, when Edward I allocated six weeks in May and June for the festivities. By the 16th Century the festivities had become a 16-day fair, with 20 September as the start of the annual feast after an additional Charter was granted by Charles II.

THESE DAYS

As Autumn approaches, locals in the city where I live look forward to October and the annual fair. If truth be known these days as many locals probably dread this annual occurrence as anticipate it. However it is a tradition that as a child I loved.

IN THE FIFTIES.

When I was young Hull Fair opened on the first Saturday of October and ran until around 11pm on the next Saturday. The fair was always closed on a Sunday and local children would mosey around the fairground on a Sunday afternoon, hoping to collect small coins that had been dropped or forgotten.

The fair was the largest travelling fair in England and was really an amalgamation of many fairs which toured during the summer months, and met up in Hull each October. The fair was, and still is, situated on waste ground on Walton Street, in Kingston-Upon-Hull.

Even back then there was talk of relocating this fair but it has never materialised to this day. These days the Walton street fairground is used throughout the year for markets and car boot sales. Part of it is used for local buses, as part of the Park and Ride transport in the city. The bonus is, these days, much of the fairground has been levelled and is tarmac. When we were kids it was mainly cinder paths, and the often wet and windy October weather, left a muddy, messy area underfoot.

Back in the fifties, and sixties, the fair incorporated stalls such as The Fat Lady, small zoos and other peculiarities. A local tramp, come eccentric, called Roland could be seen outside some of the stalls trying to entice visitors inside. With his walking stick and strange attire he was quite a scary character to children.

The fair was large and had many rides. The actual street is long, with a park at one end, and links two of the main roads of the city. This street has stalls selling candy floss, chips, hotdogs, novelty dolls and more. These line both sides of the street. The smells and sounds were always as much a part of a visit to the fair, as the actual attractions.

There was a time when Spring Bank West, during Fair week had twinkling lights along it, leading to the fair. These disappeared years ago.

HULL FAIR TODAY.

These days the fair is brash and noisy, but I guess it always was.

The rides are expensive and the overly loud music hurts my ears. Still, I assume that older people felt just the same when teenagers, such as myself, hung around the rides whilst The Beatles and The Stones music belted out across the fair.

There was a time when I would never have missed the fair. I had to visit it at least once, each year. Of course, as a child, I had to visit much more often and usually did. These days, although I do not live too far from the fair ground, I do not usually visit. Hubby has never liked the fair and the last time we went it had lost its special appeal. All I could see now was expensive, tacky goods and noisy people.

One thing I noticed when I took a friend’s child a few years ago is that younger people swear appallingly as they tour the fair. This means that, even if you visit early evening, children may have to suffer abusive language being bandied about. This was unheard off when I was young. This behaviour can give the fair an almost threatening feel, which is a shame.

OVERALL

Despite some problems the fair is still great fun for youngsters and really anyone who loves fairs. As a travelling fair the rides are assembled for the week and then taken down, but generally there are no accidents.

Hull Fair now runs a day longer, as it opens on the Friday. The Lord or Lady Mayor of Hull still officially opens the fair, I think.

The local bus companies run extended bus services for the duration of the fair and the council provides additional parking spaces. Visitors come to the fair from near and far.

From late September travellers arrive in Hull and park up their caravans at West Park, which is near to Walton Street. Once the fair is up and running the air is full of smells such as fries and hot dogs. If the wind is blowing in the right direction I can smell such aromas in my garden and hear the chatter of what seems to be a million voices all speaking at once.

I started this hub saying that October is approaching. One thing local residents say at this time of year is, “I can smell Hull Fair is on the way” and that “its Hull Fair weather”. I guess smelling Hull Fair is about associating it with the start of autumn. Hull Fair weather means that it is usually wet and windy. Of course, when you are young the fair is fun even in appalling weather. For me these days it is no fun at all in such dire weather conditions.

Thinking of the fair as the time approaches though, brings back memories of my Dad who died in 1969. He always loved the fair and all the rides. As children he took us on the Big Wheel, the Waltzers and many other stomach churners. Dad was a very religious man and never swore or cussed. I wonder what he would make of Hull Fair’s modern negatives if he were still around. I dread to think.

Hull Fair 2010 will run from 8th-16th October.

Hull Fair 2011 will be held on the Walton Street site from Friday 7 to Saturday 15 October.

Information from the Hull City Council website:

(closed Sunday 9 October)

4pm - 11pm daily (except Saturday, starts 2pm)

"The two best things in Hull, the children will tell you, are Christmas and the annual fair held in the second week of October for eight days. Hull Fair celebrated its seven hundredth anniversary in 1993 and is the largest travelling fair in Europe.

The fair is held on a 16-acre site and involves over 250 attractions ranging from children's rides, side stalls, traditional rides and the latest up to date white-knuckle rides.

Stalls down Walton Street are filled with the sights and smells of traditional fairground food from hamburgers and hot dogs to candy floss, toffee apples, pomegranates and even hog roast. Whilst down Walton Street you can also have your palm read by one of the many palmists.

The last century has seen many changes at Hull Fair with each year bringing new and wondrous delights. Fashions come and go on the fairground with the show people keeping one step ahead of their competitors and vying with each other to bring the latest attraction to the October fair. But as Hull Fair returns every year, the same thing is true now as it was hundreds of years ago - the people of Hull look forward to the fair long before it arrives.".

The end of September and beginning of October 2011 has seen Hull experiencing beautiful warm sunny days. The weather is set to change and typical Hull Fair weather is on the horizon..

I have not visited the Fair for years as long gone are the days when I could see any pleasure marching around it in torrential rain.

For those Fair visitors who always attend the first day of Hull Fair, that is what greeted them in 2009. Torrential rain all day. This is what is locally called typical or traditional Hull Fair weather.

I did have a hankering to visit in 2009 though and, when the weather permitted, took a stroll around the Hull Fair. Below are a few images I snapped during my 2009 visit.

With trusty camera in hand and Hubby on my arm off I went to Hull Fair on 13th October 2009.

The weather was perfect Fair weather. It was fine and pleasantly warm. There was no need to bundle myself up in the regulation boots, hat and scarf often warranted by a Hull Fair visit.

Early to mid week is often a good time to visit Hull Fair. It usually has enough visitors to have bustle but is not so overcrowded that movement is impossible.

We walked to the Fair from our home. We decided to visit early in the evening to avoid the yobs. We left home around 6pm and arrived back home at nearly 9pm. The walk there and back was only about 50 minutes in total but with the added trek around the fair we were tired when we arrived home.

The rides have grown in intensity over the years and I hope I have captured some of the newer rides.

Most of the stalls, where you can win a teddy etc, are a bit of a rip off. With weighted balls and darts, and tricky rules it is hard to win anything decent. If you are playing for fun, all well and good. If you really want a huge teddy then buy one from one of the street stalls.

Walton Street still has a selection of stalls selling cutey dolls, teddy bears, hot dogs, candy floss and the like.

Traditionally a visit to the fair includes the purchase of brandy snap, nougat and perhaps a coconut, pomegranate and, or, a toffee apple. We opted for a 150g bag of Brandy Snap which cost £1.80 and a large bar of nougat which cost £1.

Hubby and I had fishcake, peas and chips each as we walked back. This cost £5 and was OK. Hubby threw some of his away though.

If you visit the fair early in the evening, and on less busy nights, the rides may be cheaper. During our visit many of the rides had Happy Hour prices displayed on them. These were £1 for children's rides and £1.50 to £2 for adult rides. The darts stalls and the like also had £1 prices at this time.

Did we enjoy ourselves?

Well yes we did.

We were pleasantly surprised but I guess the good weather and lack of crowds helped. There was a strong police presence which was also reassuring.

If you visit here is a helpful tip. There are plenty of Free toilet facilities near to one of the large Helter Skelters alongside of Walton Street and Carver's Fish and Chip stall. These facilities are something you are bound to need sooner or later.