Nottingham Goose fair

Well the famous Nottingham Goose fair is on I can see the lights shining into the night sky from my back garden, coming to an end tonight after a week on the Forest ground, iv been for a look around over the past couple nights,it don't seem to get the number of rides and people that it once did years ago now, probley  because its getting far to expensive now,when I was a a young man it was only on for 3 days and nights and I all most used to live there,use to be so many people and rides back then and cheaper to,well the fair now goes on for a week beginning of October,it can be a bit slow in day time,but come the night things liven up some,still iv had my Toffee apple and candyfloss,and Bergers,Hot dogs mushy peas and im all shuck up and managed a pint or two as well  but  now im skint but Iv enjoyed myself,Oh and so did the Grandchildren their Mothers and Fathers are now skint as well   

I loved going to fairs, the waltzers were my favourite

 Well the Big Goose fair is over for another year, but that don't stop the fun for those that still have some cash, or those that are looking forwards to another payday and are still in the fair ground mood, because now we have multiple small fairs here there and every where trying to wring the last drop of peoples cash out of them before they move to I believe  Humberside for the Winter

In previous centuries - wasn't these fairs where people would gather to find work from employers/farmers ???

Goose Fair on Old Market Square c.1906

History of Goose Fair
Goose Fair has been a part of the Nottingham calendar for over 700 years.

Goose Fair goes back so far that no one knows for sure exactly how it got its name.
Most historians agree the fair probably started just after 1284 when the Charter of King Edward I referred to city fairs in Nottingham.
The name probably came from the hundreds of geese which were driven from Lincolnshire to be sold in Nottingham.

• Old Goose Fair footage >
  

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A fat roast goose was a traditional Michaelmas treat.
The fair was originally held in September on St Matthew's Day, but moved to early October in 1752.
Goose Fair has not run continuously, as it was cancelled because of the plague in 1646 and again during the two World Wars in the last century.

'Peg Leg Pete' in action at Goose Fair
Although it is know for its rides and games now, Goose Fair started as a trade event and enjoyed a reputation for its high-quality cheese.
In the 19th century, the fair was shortened from eight days to three days, but after the turn of the century it was increased again to four days.
It was moved from its site at the centre of the town in Market Square to its current location at Forest Recreation Ground in the 1920s.
For more information about the history of the Goose Fair please visit:

• Nottingham Goose Fair >
  

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last updated: 04/09/2008 at 17:45
created: 15/09/2005
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THANK YOU Mr B


I never seem to think of looking on the internet .....drrrr 

  Hello Mrs P.  
Im all ways looking on  the net, its a mine field of information, I like to just surf away any were and see what I can find, I just tap some thing in to search and tap enter and see what pops up, some things make my eyes boggle some things uninteresting then out the blue some things that hold my attention for a while, then of course I put my headphones on and just listen to music with a cuppa, I think I spend a little to much time on my laptop really even my lad shakes his head when I turn it on.  

Back in the day they would hold a festival to hang someone in public 
People would actually treat it like a fair and have a good old picnic!
   

Those were the days huh?