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Enjoying the fun of the fair at kiddies' corner are five-year-old Mauren Whitehead of 23 Tennyson St, and Carol (5) and Craig Swift (3) of 103 Brownhill Avenue, Burnley. Burnley people and many from further afield enjoyed all the fun of the fair this week on Fulledge Recreation Ground. On Friday the sun shone brightly and the fair got away to a swinging start with a bigger and better selection of amusements than last year. Mr Michael Collins from Liverpool, is a member of the fifth generation of his family and the fourth generation to come to Burnley. A member of the Showman’s Guild, he is one of the three men selected to coordinate and organise this year’s event. This year, 42 tenants with their own vans and equipment make up the fair. Mr Collins said “I have been coming to Burnley for years now and can remember when the town went through some really hard times. I wouldn’t say people are spending as much this year, in fact money is a bit tight. You can always tell. When you gat a lot od copper, then that’s a sure sign that there isn’t much about.”
One woman who is not so enamoured with the idea of a fair, but is being stoical about the whole thing, is 77-year-old Mrs Beatrice Wolstencroft of 20 Thursfield Rd, whose home is just across from Fulledge Recreation Ground. “It is not bad during the day, but at night I just cannot get off to sleep till after midnight. I am not in the best of health, but I am putting up with it because the people there are very hard working and are giving the children a real treat.” Unfortunately, Mrs Wolstencroft has had to put up with vandalism in addition to the noise. She explained “I have had a lot of damage done to my house, but it is not as bad as previous years. At one time, they used to rip off the locks to my doors, but this is probably because it is an end house.”
Although it is true that the fair only stays for a short time, its history stretches back a long way. According to records, the market was granted a charter as long ago a 1293-4 and the same charter also granted permission for a fair to be held annually. The charter was granted by Edward I to Percy de Lacey, Earl of Lincoln and Lord of the Manor.