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FAIRGROUND HERITAGE TRUST SAVED!

After years of uncertainty the future of the collection owned by the Fairground Heritage Trust (FHT) has been secured, following the announcement of a new Fairground Museum at Dingles Steam Village.

Following months of negotiations, a rescue package put together by prominent enthusiast Roger Austin, in conjunction with Richard Sandercock, owner of Dingles Steam Village, has now been approved by both the FHT Trustees and the Heritage Lottery Fund, safeguarding this important collection.

The existing Trustees: Richard Ward and Harry North, under the chairmanship of Sir William McAlpine, will be joined initially by new Trustees including Richard Sandercock, Michael Smith and Stephen Smith.

Under the terms of this agreement Roger Austin will remain custodian of the Edwards collection of rides – Gallopers, Noah’s Ark, Dodgems, Swirl and Brooklands Speedway track, together with their associated items of transport – at Raunds, Northamptonshire. The remainder of the collection, including the legendary Rodeo Switchback, will shortly be relocated to Lifton, Devon, where they will form the basis of a new Fairground Museum at Dingles Steam Village.

Dingles Steam Village, an established Industrial Heritage Centre, is already home to probably the largest collection of Fairground Art on public display in the UK. Assembled by Michael Smith, the collection has grown in both size and importance over the past five years or so. Dingles has many advantages as a site for the Fairground Museum, particularly as it is an established attraction, so much of the infrastructure is already in place, including car park, toilets, cafeteria, and supporting facilities such as extensive workshops. It is envisaged that much of the conservation, restoration and maintenance work can be undertaken on site, cutting costs and increasing controls.

Dingles has already established strong links with the showland community, and many showmen, both from the Westcountry and further afield, have strongly supported its involvement with fairground heritage. The Trust would seek to further strengthen this association, and it is hoped that this will assist in building the collection, with the acquisition of further items on loan, or by donation or purchase. Although the Trust already has an extensive collection, there are still a number of gaps which should be filled to complete a more comprehensive picture of our fairground history.

For the 2003 season, Michael Smith, Dingles’ Fairground Coordinator, has indicated that a selection of objects from the Trust’s collection will be added to the existing displays, meaning that access to the collection will be improved immediately, a key requirement of the funding bodies. The remainder of the collection will be housed in secure storage at Dingles. Looking to the longer term, the mammoth task of assessing will be started at the earliest opportunity, in order to produce a comprehensive Conservation Management Plan. There is also much work to be done in getting the Trust’s Registered Museum status reinstated. In order to undertake the conservation and restoration of the collection, external funding from a variety of sources will be essential, as will specialist expertise. The eventual aim is to have the bulk of the collection on permanent display, including working rides and stalls. This will be housed at Dingles in a new building of around twenty thousand square feet, with phase I hopefully being ready for the 2004 season.

As well as the Rodeo Switchback, other key items to move to Dingles include the Billy Wood Boxing Show, the Lawrence Bioscope Wagon, Elizabeth Ashley’s Living Wagon, Brett’s Ghost Train, Tommy Benson’s Dodgems flash, a Cakewalk, a Joy Wheel, and the remains of the Ling Moonrocket. There is also a Dobby Set formerly travelled by Tommy O’Brien, as well as a wide selection of stalls and smaller artefacts.

There is to be an immediate re-establishment of a friends group, and an interim newsletter will shortly be available. Anyone interested is invited to register their interest at fairart@btopenworld.com. It is envisaged that a friend group will increase awareness of the Trust and its collection, open fund raising opportunities, and encourage more people to participate in the museum’s activities, linking with the existing community of volunteers already active at Dingles Steam Village.

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