Category: History

| by zoah

It’s been 60 years since Mary Poppins premiered, and Dick Van Dyke who played lovable chimney sweep Bert in the film (complete with atrocious cockney accent) has just won an Emmy award at the age of 98! Did you know that we supplied funfair props for both the 1964 Mary Poppins film and the 2018 […]

Posted in: Filming History
| by shane

It’s nearly time for Amersham Charter Fair! Did you know that this Buckinghamshire market town was granted a fair by royal charter by King John in 1200? Thus by visiting, you are taking part in a tradition that is over 800 years old! These photos give a glimpse of what the fair looked like in […]

Posted in: History
| by zoah

As we’re at Barham Park at the moment, we thought it was the perfect opportunity to share this 100-year-old footage from the greatest funfair that Wembley has ever seen: part of the 1924 British Empire Exhibition, for which Wembley Stadium was built. At almost fifty acres, it was the world’s largest amusement park, and it […]

Posted in: History
| by zoah

Our funfair is currently on Islington’s Highbury Fields, but did you know that our ancestor George Irvin was born at the fair in Highbury in 1850? As you can see from this excerpt from the birth register below, George Irvin was born to James Abraham Irvin (NOT Irving!) and Elizabeth Irvin (née Young) on 12th […]

Posted in: History
| by zoah

Saturday is Windrush Day, when we celebrate the arrival of the ship Empire Windrush from Jamaica to Tilbury Docks. Why not celebrate by visiting our funfairs at Kingston (appropriately enough!) Fairfield Park, or Roundwood Park in Harlesden? At Kingston, we are open from 1pm to 9pm, and in the afternoon, your little ones can meet […]

Posted in: News History
| by zoah

Last week, we were open in Wembley’s Barham Park – 100 years after the British Empire Exhibition that saw the opening of the original Wembley Stadium. Did you know that Wembley was home to the world’s largest amusement park, and the first place that dodgem cars were seen in the UK? We’ve unearthed this century-old […]

| by shane

“From Garry Stewart”  Albion was made 1944 but never used and when the army released this in 1967 George Irvin’s purchased this and used it to around 1978. To all the people who don’t know, and the few that do. In August 2021 I sold my beloved Albion. I wasn’t actively looking to sell the […]

| by shane

Hi George, hope you are all well. I read something on facebook a short while ago about your speedway and the size of the centre island. I have some of Philip Bradley’s notes, he lived in Epsom and recorded London fairs from the mid 30’s, and is usually reliable. He says your grandad George had […]