Timeshift: All the Fun of the Fair, BBC Four

Evocative history of the modern fair, with spectacular archive footage

by Kieron TylerWednesday, 03 August 2011

The steam-powered roundabout: a British invention

Is there a place for the travelling fun fair any more? Static attractions like Alton Towers and Thorpe Park have rides that are bigger, grander, more varied and scarier than anything a traditional, transient fair could ever transport. All the Fun of the Fair’s answer was that the fair has survived by winding the clock back, rekindling the past with original Victorian and Edwardian rides. There’s still room for something less bombastic.

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