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- FAIR CELEBRATES 750TH
BIRTHDAY
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09:30 - 15 October 2002
Ilkeston Charter Fair celebrates its 750th anniversary this year.
Starting tomorrow, thousands of people will pack the town centre streets to enjoy the
thrills and spills of one of the largest street fairs in Europe. Here we take a brief look
at the fascinating history behind this popular annual event.
It was the Romans who introduced markets and fairs into Britain, trying to encourage an
established form of trade. The need to trade and the difficulties of distribution and
communication meant it was essential to create seasonal gathering places for the exchange
of goods and news. Gradually, after the Norman Conquest, most were regularised by charters
granted by the Crown. It is now exactly 750 years since Henry III granted Ilkeston a
charter to hold an annual fair and market.
The modern Charter Fair is the consolidation of three events that were held in the town up
until 1888. The original Charter Fair, held on the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
in August, was intended to celebrate the end of harvest season. It would mainly have been
for trading but the festivities were also associated with Holy days. The second event,
Wakes Week, an annual religious celebration, was held on the Sunday after October 11. The
third event was the Statutes Fair, which was held on the last Thursday in October and
dated back to the 14th century and the passing of the Statute of Labourers in 1351 by
Edward III.
Because Ilkeston was an agricultural area, the best time for
holding a Statutes or Hiring Fair was in October. But by the mid 19th century, the hiring
function of the fair had been overtaken by the entertainment element and the fair had
spilled over from the Market Place into South Street, Pimlico, the Harrow Inn yard and the
old Stack yards off Bath Street. These 19th century fairs saw a motley assembly of
midgets, marionettes, swing boats, shooting galleries, waxworks and steam-driven juvenile
horses.
In 1888 the August fair, Wakes Week and the Statutes Fair were combined to make one event,
and now the Charter Fair officially runs from the first Thursday following Wakes Sunday in
Wakes Week. In recent years the fair has been opened to the public on the Wednesday before
the official opening by the Mayor of Erewash on the following day.
The reason for the amalgamation seems to be that all three events were not popular enough
separately to ensure their continued existence. The Victorian era signified a new lease of
life for the town's fair and set the standard for the great event that it is today. The
modern fair bears no resemblance to those in its earlier days. Bright lights, loud music
and rides that get bigger and faster every year have brought in thousands of visitors. But
there has also been much controversy over the central location of the fair, road closures
and the rising prices.An exhibition about the history of the fair is currently running at
Erewash Museum, finishing on Saturday with a special fair day featuring steam engines and
an organ. Opening times: 10am-4pm, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Entry is free.
If you have any stories to tell about Ilkeston Fair - perhaps a romance spawned on the
dodgems, a child lost in the crowd or, maybe, you worked on one of the rides - we would
love to hear from you. - EMAIL US -
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