Nottingham Goose Fair
Encyclopedia
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, during the first week of October. It is largely provided by travelling fair people. It is one of only two established fairs in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to carry the name, the other smaller Goosey Fair being held in Tavistock, Devon.
History
The fair dates back more than 700 years and was once said to be EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
's biggest. Even today, it is second only to 'Tubby's Funfair' held in Penistone
Penistone
Penistone is a small town market town and civil parish in the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, in South Yorkshire, England, with a population of 10,101 at the 2001 census. It lies west of the town of Barnsley and north east of Glossop, in the foothills of the Pennines...
, Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
. The consensus among historians is that the fair probably started just after 1284, when the Charter of King Edward I
Edward I of England
Edward I , also known as Edward Longshanks and the Hammer of the Scots, was King of England from 1272 to 1307. The first son of Henry III, Edward was involved early in the political intrigues of his father's reign, which included an outright rebellion by the English barons...
referred to city fairs in Nottingham. The Goose Fair was cancelled due to the bubonic plague
Bubonic plague
Plague is a deadly infectious disease that is caused by the enterobacteria Yersinia pestis, named after the French-Swiss bacteriologist Alexandre Yersin. Primarily carried by rodents and spread to humans via fleas, the disease is notorious throughout history, due to the unrivaled scale of death...
in 1646 and again during the two World Wars in the 20th century. Until 1928 it was held in Old Market Square
Old Market Square
The Old Market Square is an open, pedestrianised city square in Nottingham, England. It is the largest such surviving square in the United Kingdom, forming the heart of the city, and covering an area of approximately 22,000 m²....
in Nottingham city centre
Nottingham City Centre
Nottingham city centre is the cultural, commercial, financial and historical heart of Nottingham, England. Nottingham's city centre represents the central area of the Greater Nottingham conurbation....
, but it was moved because of redevelopment of the area.
The Goose Fair started as a trade event and enjoyed a reputation for its high-quality cheese, although it is now known for its rides and games. Its name is derived from the thousands of geese
Goose
The word goose is the English name for a group of waterfowl, belonging to the family Anatidae. This family also includes swans, most of which are larger than true geese, and ducks, which are smaller....
that were driven from Lincolnshire to be sold in Nottingham.
Originally, the fair was held on the 21st of September, but in 1752, with the change to the Gregorian calendar
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
, it moved to early October. The duration of the fair was shortened from eight days to three days in the 1800s.
Recent history
Nottingham Goose Fair is considered by most to be one of the most prestigious fairs in the UK. However, in recent years, the dates of the fair have created a problem, as it now overlaps with the Hull FairHull Fair
Hull Fair is one of Europe's largest travelling funfairs, which comes to Hull, England for one week, from noon on Friday to midnight the following Saturday, encompassing the second Tuesday of October each year. The fair is open every day between these days except Sunday...
. Some of the top rides from the Goose Fair therefore have to travel directly from Nottingham to Hull, not opening at Hull until around the fourth day of the fair.
It is now held at the Forest Recreation Ground
Forest Recreation Ground
The Forest Recreation Ground is a recreation ground in Nottingham, England, approximately one mile north of the city centre. This urban space is bounded by the neighbourhoods of Forest Fields to the north, Mapperley Park to the east, Arboretum to the south and Hyson Green to the west.- History...
. After the turn of the 21st century its length was increased again to four days, for the 700th anniversary, and was kept like this afterwards. For 2006, the fair increased to five days with the addition of limited opening hours on the Sunday afternoon. However it proved unprofitable to open on the Sunday, so this was not repeated in 2007 although it was opened for 5 days again from 2009.
In art and popular culture
The Nottingham-based artist Arthur SpoonerArthur Spooner (painter)
Arthur Spooner was a British painter from Nottingham, England.Spooner was born in Nottingham and trained at the Nottingham School of Art in the late 19th century. He later taught landscape and figurative painting there in the early 20th century.Arthur Spooner was a member of the Nottingham...
painted The Goose Fair, Nottingham in 1926. The painting was sold at Christie's
Christie's
Christie's is an art business and a fine arts auction house.- History :The official company literature states that founder James Christie conducted the first sale in London, England, on 5 December 1766, and the earliest auction catalogue the company retains is from December 1766...
in 2004 and is now displayed in Nottingham Castle
Nottingham Castle
Nottingham Castle is a castle in Nottingham, England. It is located in a commanding position on a natural promontory known as "'Castle Rock'", with cliffs high to the south and west. In the Middle Ages it was a major royal fortress and occasional royal residence...
.
The book "English Journey" by J. B. Priestley
J. B. Priestley
John Boynton Priestley, OM , known as J. B. Priestley, was an English novelist, playwright and broadcaster. He published 26 novels, notably The Good Companions , as well as numerous dramas such as An Inspector Calls...
contains an account of the author's visit to the Goose Fair in 1933.
The goose fair has been used in television programmes as well as in films such as The Woman for Joe
The Woman for Joe
The Woman for Joe is a 1955 British drama film starring Diane Cilento, George Baker, Jimmy Karoubi and David Kossoff. The owner of a circus sideshow and his prize attraction become romantically involved with the same woman.-Cast:...
and Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (film)
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning is a 1960 British film. It is an adaptation of the 1958 novel of the same name by Alan Sillitoe. Sillitoe wrote the screenplay adaptation and the film was directed by Karel Reisz.-Synopsis:...
.