Carters' Steam Fair
Over the last half-century, there have been many individuals who have played an
important part in preserving our fairground heritage. But in the field of fairground
preservation, there is a phenomenon which has no equal: Carters Steam Fair.
Fairground preservation is perceived by many to be the preserve of ' the preservationist's;
that obscure breed of human being who, not content with memories and photographs,
have taken their interest to the extreme and have become 'vintage showmen' . Indeed, the
vast majority of vintage fairground equipment which travels today, or is permanently
sited, is owned by individuals who were not born into the showland way of life.
However, before the preservation movement was established, our fairground
heritage lay in the hands of a few dedicated showmen who, unlike their peers, were not
prepared to discard their rides and shows in order to 'keep up with the times ' . Two names
instantly come to mind: Percy Cole and Harry Lee, who among others, presented their
steam driven rides at the Great White Waltham Steam Fair, in 1964. This now famous
event was the first of it' s kind; a gathering of vintage fairground rides, shows and
transport, allowing the public to enjoy all the fun of the old time fair, and was without
doubt a catalyst for future fairground preservation. Among the visitors was a young man
whose name would become synonymous with the presentation of vintage fairground
equipment: John Carter.
His visit to the Great White Waltham Steam Fair must have had a lasting impact,
because ten years later in 1974, John Carter organised a similar event at Blackbushe,
Hampshire. Among the attractions were two sets of steam driven Gallopers; Tommy
Meesham' s Wall of Death; Loi Bishton's Cakewalk and the last two surviving steam
driven switchbacks: Percy Cole' s Venetian Gondolas and Jimmy Williams' spinning-top
Rodeo. This may well have been the first time two switchbacks had opened on the same
ground since before WWII.
However, organising such events was not without problems. It became evident that
not everything booked was guaranteed to tum up, as was the case with Harry Lee' s
Steam Yachts. At the last minute, John was able to bring in Commander Bulldock's
single Steam Yacht from Hollycombe, but it was clear to John that if he was to continue
in this direction, he would need his own equipment. And so the humble beginnings of
Carters' Steam Fair were born in 1976 when the Carters' acquired a set of Tidman
Gallopers which had been operating at Burnham Beeches, in the ownership of John
Lovett. Much restoration work was carried out on the machine, and Anna Carter's
considerable artistic skills are still evident thirty years on, in the beautiful jungle scenes
painted on the rounding boards. The Gallopers had been electrically driven for many
years, but a restored Tidman cemft-e engine enabled the ride to be returned to steam. The
machine lacked just one compofrent to complete it's restoration: an organ. Finally, a 46
key Gavioli organ was acquired in 1979, and has been with the ride ever since.
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