Case Study: St. Giles fair
Location: Oxford City Centre
Date: The first Monday and Tuesday after the Sunday following the 1st September (St. Giles day)
Attendance: Approx 50,000
Equipment: Helter skelter, sweets and candy floss.
WHAT WE DO: my family has been supplying the historic st. Giles fair with some of its rides and attractions since the Victorian era. The fair has actually been in existence in some form or another since around 1780. It is one of our favourite fairs to attend, and holds lots of memories for our family. The location of our Helter skelter at the point where st. Giles rd becomes Banbury rd, and splits off into Woodstock rd, is the focal point of the fair, and a Helter skelter has occupied that site for over 100years.
We set up on the Sunday morning from 6am, and are usually finished around lunchtime. During the build, we take a break of an hour at 11am to allow the Church Sunday service to take place in silence. The fair is opened by the Lord Mayor of Oxford at 10:30am Monday, and runs until 11:00pm Tuesday. we then take our rides down, and remove them from the city, so the streets can reopen to regular traffic from 6am on Wednesday.
We feel that our historic fairs are of the utmost importance to our heritage, and form a special part of local life in villages, towns, and cities, across the British Isles. Long may they continue!
Around 100 years between the two photos in the same location.
