The traditional medieval town of tewkesbury has huge amounts to offer including the impressive abbey, local boat trips, gift shops and local events which continually run throughout the year. Tewkesbury mop fair held 9 and 10 october every year by royal charter unless the dates fall on a sunday, the biggest street fair in the west, including. Known as the marlborough big mop and little mop, the mop fairs were granted to the town in line with a charter from king john in 1204 where agricultural workers would come to be hired. Tewkesbury mop fair 2002 always located at the cross,in the centre of town the mop fair was an important trading occasion, but always contained elements of amusement. Real food smoothie challenge giant gummy drink eating best gross real worm candy duration. The date is set for 12 october or is moved if 12 october falls on a sunday, and as a pleasure fair it remains a key date in the warwickshire calendar. It serves a population of 10,704 people as of the 2011 census.
I had never heard of a mop fair until i moved to stratforduponavon, when i discovered that hey are held in a number of towns around here, including banbury, warwick and tewkesbury. The latter relates the history of the annual mop fair illustrated by an. Victorian author dinah craik 18261887 visited tewkesbury in 1852, and later set her most famous work john halifax, gentleman pub. Working to protect and promote the tewkesbury mop fair and its future. The fair itself is also an underlining point of tewkesbury s industrial past, as walker gallopers were produced in the area by walkers in the early 20th. The following towns have a history of holding mops and still hold one each year. Give us some information that lends any extra relevance to the pic and ensure that they are your photos and are not bound by.
Tewkesbury lay in a peninsula of gloucestershire, between herefordshire and worcestershire, at the confluence of the severn and the avon, and was described by camden as a large and fair town famous for the making of woollen cloth and smartbiting mustard. Tewkesburys place in the history books was secured in 1471 with the battle of the roses. To read more about the history of tewkesbury mop and. Information and stories of the history of tewkesbury mop fair and showmen lives. Tewkesbury mop fair on tv click on any of the following buttons to watch now. The mop fair in its present form is just like virtually. In march 1471 edward returned from holland, defeating and. Celebrating tewkesburys rivers with a procession of boats and fireworks. Tewkesbury and other mop fairs typically take over the entire town centre for two days, attracting thousands of visitors. Many of the town centre streets will be closed to vehicles, so instead of queues of traffic there will be queues of people all lining up to take. Stratforduponavon mop fair has its origins in hiring agricultural and domestic labour, set out some time during the reign of edward iii and provision of the statutes of labourers. So83se lincoln green lane 85912282 tewkesbury park hotel 270773 formerly listed as. Tewkesbury museum contains around 6,000 artefacts, all with a strong link to the history of tewkesbury and its surrounding area.
Finally two very different memories, the first of cirencester mop fair by fred petrie and cirencester excavation committee 19581997 by david viner. Meeting rooms in tewkesbury conference rooms regus us. While history remains important to the town, with its annual medieval festival, food and drink festival and mop fair, it has established itself as a thriving business sector in recent years. It lies in the far north of the county, forming part of. Celebrating tewkesbury s rivers with a procession of boats and fireworks. Come and see medieval banners being made, ask questions and discover the heritage tewkesbury is famous for.
Saturday 11am 6pm followed by events in the town sunday 11am 5pm. The name tewkesbury comes from theoc, the name of a saxon hermit who arrived in the area in the 7th century. The history of tewkesbury hardcover august 8, 2015 by james bennett author visit amazons james bennett page. The interesting origins of stratfords mop fair cosy life. All year round in tewkesbury there is a wide range of events for all ages to enjoy. The largest street fair in gloucestershire and one of the oldest fairs in the country, that takes place annually on october 9th and 10th, unless one of these dates falls on a sunday, in which case the fair is taken back to fridaysaturday or brought. Buy tewkesbury through the year by stephen lambe online from the works. Tewkesbury fair society, tewkesbury, united kingdom. Tbc the vintage fair is back for 2020 as part of tewkesburys big weekend. To raise a perfect monument to taste the story behind the building of holy innocents church, highnam, gloucestershire by tom fenton, 2001, pp40, illustrated, isbn 1 872665 93 4, rjl smith and.
Many of the rides at the mop are fast, brightly lit and very noisy including traditional rides such as carousels and helterskelters. Originally a hiring fair where people came to seek employment, the event is now just a large funfair taking over much of the centre of town. A history of this fairground family, with many photographs. The name tewkesbury comes from theoc, the name of a saxon who founded a. Tewkesbury mop, danters funfairs and more on this personal funfair website. Apr 23, 2015 tewkesbury s fairs date back to 1199 and were granted a royal charter in 1610. Battle of tewkesbury, may 4, 1471, in the english wars of the roses, the yorkist king edward ivs final victory over his lancastrian opponents. The council has sixteen members to represent the affairs of the four wards of the town. The town of tewkesbury, situated in gloucestershire, is home to over 11,000 people.
The fighting in fields south of the town saw the house of york secure victory over the lancastrians, a decisive result depicted in the arrivall statue on the outskirts of town. Everything you need to know ahead of the tewkesbury mop fair 2017 that means the standard price for young children will be. The mop fair takes over the medieval town centre with rides and stalls squeezed in between the many fine tudor. In 2009 tewkesbury fair society celebrated 20 years of existance and held a number of events for. Including the famous tewkesbury medieval festival and the horse racing at cheltenham only a short 10min drive we are an ideal location. Tewkesbury whats on upcoming events activities visit. We will acknowledge your name with the photo supplied. Gloucester road tewkesbury park ii large country house, now hotel.
Tewkesbury direct magazine october 2019 by tewkesbury direct. Originally a hiring fair where people came to seek employment, the event is now a large travelling funfair taking over much of the centre of town. Tewkesbury town council is a parish council in gloucestershire, england. Tewkesbury fair society the gloucestershire oracle. There is a craik house in church street, near the abbey, but mrs craik never lived there and had no other connection with tewkesbury. The tewkesbury mop fair is the largest street fair in gloucestershire and one of the oldest fairs in the country. Hiring fairs, also called statute or mop fairs, were regular events in premodern great britain and ireland where labourers were hired for fixed terms. In 2009 tewkesbury fair society celebrated 20 years of existance and held a number of events for all our members and freinds of the society. Tewkesbury augsept 2014 by love local magazines formerly.
The fair itself is also an underlining point of tewkesburys industrial past, as walker gallopers were produced in the area by walkers in the early 20th. Stratforduponavon mop fair stratfordonavon district. Find all the books, read about the author, and more. Tewkesbury through the year ebook by stephen lambe. Its again being held in an old music hall setting watson hall, in the heart of tewkesburys medieval town centre, a nostalgia fix second to none. Daily stuff 101018 tewkesbury mop fair ancient lights. The tewkesbury mop fair and mr salts model fairground. The book also focuses on some of the festivals that help define tewkesbury, from the nationallyrecognised food fair in the spring, to the medieval festival in the summer and autumns historic mop fair.
Visit now to browse our huge range of products at great prices. If you would like a copy of this book please call steve on. Details of fairground model show and the tewkesbury mop fair. Photos of times gone by please scan and upload your photos of times gone by from tewkesbury and surrounding areas for all readers to enjoy. Originally held to help the local population find work and thought to date back as far as the 12th century, the mop fair is now a modern street fair with carnival rides and street performers. Oct 06, 2016 check out my new video of the actual thing. The term mops is a local area name for the statute hiring fairs which became established as a result of the black death, and subsequent statute of labourers of 51. It stands at the confluence of the river severn and the river avon, and also minor tributaries the swilgate and carrant brook. Website gives an interesting history of the mop fair and includes some interesting old photographs.
By the 1850s, shooting galleries and dancing girl shows were becoming popular attractions, with the first roundabouts appearing in the late 1860s. Instead, the stratforduponavon mop fair is a twoday fun fair located right in the centre of town. The term mops is a local area name for the hiring fairs which were held annually in british towns and villages for the purpose of hiring servants and farm labourers and. In 1605 the fair on 25 april was replaced by one on 3 may, and in 1610 additional fairs, with a court of piepowder, on 11 june and. Tewkesbury mop fair wvptv share tewkesbury mop fair page on face book. It gives its name to the borough of tewkesbury, of which the town is the second largest settlement. Edward, who had displaced the lancastrian henry vi in 1461, later quarreled with his powerful subject richard neville, earl of warwick, and warwick in 1470 restored henry to the throne. The term mops is a local area name for the hiring fairs which were held annually in british towns and villages for the purpose of hiring servants and farm labourers and sought to control wages and conditions of employment of workers. The buildings, roads, alleyways, bridges and rivers tell the story of its past. Todays feast is the tewkesbury mop fair which had its 400th anniversary in 2010. The abbey is just the start of your insight into tewkesburys history which you can explore further. This years mop fair takes place tonight and tomorrow friday 10th and saturday 11th october.
In addition, there are vintage fairs, exhibitions, concerts, sporting events and celebrations. This is a hiring fair where people go who are looking for work for the coming year. Formed in 1989, the tewkesbury fair society aims to promote and preserve tewkesbury mop fair. The date is set for 12 october or is moved if 12 october falls on a sunday, and as a pleasure. There is a craik house in church street, near the abbey, but mrs craik never. The mop fair is in town at the moment, so stratford town centre is currently overrun with fairground rides. To read more about the history of tewkesbury mop and how it came about, click here. A selection of pictures and slides dating from 1908 to present day and presented by members of the tfs comittee formed in 1989. Exhibits in the chapel include the fascinating minute book that has been. The national fairground and circus archive home facebook. Its main permanent displays are based on the following themes. They date from the time of edward iii, and his attempt to regulate the labour market by the statute of labourers in 51 at a time of a serious national shortage of labour after the black death. Tewkesbury is an historic riverside town in gloucestershire. Tewkesbury is a captivating town with its abundance of beautiful historic.
About onethird of the entries in the gloucester portbook for that year related to tewkesbury. It also recognises the impact that the two rivers, the severn and the avon, have on the town. Until in 1790 the town was entitled to a total of seven annual fairs. Hiring fairs, also called statute or mop fairs, were regular events in premodern great britain. Tewkesburys fairs date back to 1199 and were granted a royal charter in 1610. Photos of times gone by in tewkesbury tewkesbury direct. A walk through tewkesbury will take you on a journey of the towns history. Know hosting a funfair that takes over the town, the fairs are one of the highlights of the year. Aug 08, 2015 the history of tewkesbury hardcover august 8, 2015 by james bennett author visit amazons james bennett page. Tewkesbury through the year by stephen lambe british.
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