Scotland October 2017 - Day 3

Nottingham - Goose Fair

Introduction

We were back in Nottingham again. Not because we particularly like Nottingham but because I have a long line of forebears occupying a plot in the Nottingham General Cemetery. My great-great-grandfather James FROGGATT arrived in Nottingham in the early part of the 19th century, residing at Brewhouse Yard near Nottingham Castle. He and his family were involved in the stocking trade for a while (he mentioned his five stocking frames in his Will). His son William worked for the local timber merchant of Youles and eventually bought the company. His son William moved to Sandiacre and established his own timber business before dying young. William's son William left for the colonies (Australia and then New Zealand) as soon as he turned sixteen.

What did attract us this time was Goose Fair, the big attraction in the Nottingham calendar. But our first stop was to visit the grave at the General Cemetery and try to deal to a pesky tree that had grown up through the grave. We cut it down, drowned it in woody weed killer and hoped that would fix it. Time will tell. Maybe we will have to go back next year...

The Froggatt grave at Nottingham General Cemetery with the remains of the tree.

Standing beside the grave

Side-on view of the grave

The grave in May 2005

Goose Fair

For several hundred years Nottingham has been noted for its Goose Fair, held in the first week of October each year. It started as a harvest festival, held in the Market Square in the centre of Nottingham but over the years it lost the harvest part and retained the fair and sideshows. It ourgrew the square and was moved to the Forest Recreation Ground a few miles away. Today the Goose Fair is the largest of its type in Britain. The event takes over the town, with all accommodation booked out, roads closed, car parks and special buses provided and the town full of people.

We took the new tram out to Goose Fair, from the tram stop outside our hotel to the stop at the gates of the fair. Goose Fair is a massive event with hundreds of rides, sideshows and food. As the day turned to evening the crowds increased, the patrons on the rides became more adventuroud and the screaming of terrified riders increased. But after a while we started to notice the similarities and duplication in rides and the rather limited range of food. Yes we did try Mushy Pies with Mint Sauce (somewhat over-rated) and pulled pork buns, but declined the brightly coloured candy floss and Cocks on Sticks.