Web Page No 2718

 

26^th September 2020

 

1st Picture. The fair in the 1920’s

2nd Picture. 1920’s again looking over towards Portchester

3rd Picture. Bank Holiday crowds

4th Picture. Cole’s Gallopers

5^th Picture. Cole’s roundabout

6^th Picture 1950 picture of the Chairoplanes

 

Having dealt with the circus last week the next logical step is to look at fun fairs and this one in particular:-

 

 

Portsdown Fair

 

Do you remember the anticipation that we all felt when we were, firstly as kids and latterly as teenagers, because the Easter Bank Holiday Weekend was coming and Mr. William Coles and Sons from Chichester brought their travelling fun fair to Cosham and they set it up in a regular spot alongside the A3 to the west and just above the Queen Alexandra Hospital on Portsdown Hill?

 

As far as I can ascertain, details of the history of the original fair are a little sketchy. It was originally a traditional livestock and rural market fair situated just outside the City boundary and was abandoned sometime in the 1860 only to be revived several decades later as just a fun fair and finally to sink without trace in the late 1960’s or early 70’s. I am not certain of the date of the last fair!

 

When we were kids it was so exciting for a group of us to make the climb up the hill to visit the fair, there to spend our meagre pocket money on games, rides and sweets and to absorb the noise, smells, music and atmosphere that the fair created. These trips were always made during the early afternoon and we as kids had a wonderful time before clambering back down the hill tired and broke and made our way home.

 

However, several years later, when we had all grown up a little and were in our teenage years, the fair was the place to go with your mates, or to take your girlfriend, for an evening out. The evenings were when the lights would colourfully illuminate the rides and the atmosphere totally changed.

 

I visited many times over the years from about the age of 10 through to my teenage years and probably attending almost every year. Despite this I can only clearly remember one visit I made to the fair during the Easter Bank Holiday of 1964 or 1965.

 

I took my girlfriend at the time to the fair (I have to say it must have made an impression because we have now been married for 53 years!). After wandering around the stalls and side shows riding on some of the attractions and enjoying several hot, indigestible, freshly cooked ring doughnuts, she persuaded me to try my luck on one of the stalls.

 

I do not remember which stall it was, maybe it was rifle shooting, hoopla, or a darts stall but I do remember that I won her a hideous 9-inch plaster of Paris black poodle with two glass eyes. It was a study of a dog sitting up and was really terrible. Neither of us really wanted it but I got lumbered with carrying it home. At her front gate I managed to give it to Pam who took it into her house.

 

Why do I remember this visit above the rest? Surprisingly, even though neither of us liked it, the model has survived the years and today sits well out the way in a box in our loft and only on very rare occasions does it see the light of day but we are never going to throw it away, because it holds so many memories!    

 

I am sure you all must have memories of that fair ground. You will see I have managed to find several pictures of the fun fair over the years and when I was researching this page I was amazed to see that the Coles family are still running their travelling fair along the south coast.

 

    Stay in touch

 

Peter

 

gsseditor@gmail.com

 

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