Nottingham Goose Fair

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Nottingham Goose Fair is an annual travelling fair held in Nottingham, UK (more commonly associated with the legend of Robin Hood or, for football fans, Nottingham Forest who twice won the European Cup.

The Goose Fair is held over four days at the beginning of October, overlapping with the Hull Fair, which is the largest in Europe, having superseded NGF many years ago. It attracts some half a million visitors.

The consensus amongst historians is that the Goose Fair dates back to around 1284, when King Edward I referred to a Fair in his Charter (this was before the Royal Charter he gave to Hull Fair in 1293, although that Fair existed as far back as 1278).

At the time the Goose Fair was established, there was already a well known and established fair in Nottingham, dating back to 1164 or thereabouts. This was organised and held around Lenton Priory and was known as the Lenton Fair. Lenton Fair was said to be very important to the people and economy of Nottingham as far back as the 12th Century, and it is mentioned in Harrison’s Calendar of Fairs for 1587.

Tradition has it that the Goose Fair was originally a trade fair, primarily a "farmers market" at which cheese (Stilton cheese comes from nearby), livestock, draught animals and, of course, geese were bought and sold.

It is said that in the 18th century up to 20,000 geese would be driven from the Lincolnshire Fens to the Goose Fair to be sold principally as the centrepiece for feasts (goose was traditional long before turkey became the vogue). At that time the Goose Fair was held close to Michaelmas.

In 1764 there were riots over the increase in the price of cheese, and pitched battles took place between enraged customers and stall holders. It is said that the Mayor of Nottingham was laid low when a 100lb cheese fell on him and that the Dragoons had to be mobilised and sent into the city to quell the disturbance and restore order!

There have been some gaps in the running of the Fair. It was suspended in 1646, due to the Bubonic Plague. In 1751 the changes to the calendar resulted in no fair being held. The Fair was also cancelled during World War I and World War II.

Its dates have changed over its long history. Originally it was held on St Matthews Day. Then it moved to late September, around Michaelmas, and then in 1752 (after the change from the Julian to Gregorian calendar) to early October, where it remains.

The venue has also changed from time to time. Where the original Fair was held is not known. The Market Square in its current location is unlikely to have existed in 1284, as it really developed, following the establishment of the Lace Market area, as a mid-point between the immigrant communities in that location and the indigenous population in the locality of the Castle – being higher ground above the Broad Marshes.

After what was certainly several centuries in the Market Square, the Goose Fair moved in 1928 to the Forest (Forest Recreation ground) – a broad vale, just North of the city centre, which lies below an escarpment which was topped by Windmills in the 18th and 19th centuries. One of the Windmills remains intact at Sneinton, within easy walking distance of the Fair’s location.

The length of the Goose Fair has also fluctuated over the years. The original Charter was for a 12 day fair. In the early 19th century it is known to have lasted some eight days. By 1880 the fair was reduced to three days, commencing on the first Thursday in October. At the start of the 20th century it was extended to four days, starting on the first Wednesday in the month.

The modern Goose Fair is a very different event from that which traditionally occurred. With the advent of mechanisation and electricity, the face of any fair has been revolutionised inside the past 150 years – and modern technology means that there is now a unique blend of stalls, side shows and "old fashioned" roundabouts and carousels, alongside white knuckle rides which test the nerves of the very bravest.

Nottingham Goose Fair overlaps with the Hull Fair, 100 or so miles away, and so neither Fair is able to attract the maximum number of showmen, although what effect this has upon attendance is unknown (likely to be minimal given the overall scale of both events).

In content both are very similar and for a description of the development of the Goose Fair the comments relating to Hull Fair are equally relevant.