It’s the first week of October, and in Nottingham that means that Goose Fair has occupied the Forest Recreation Ground. With origins as a merchant market, it’s now a vibrant carnival landscape of lights and sounds. Though the fair has changed significantly since its early years, both Goose Fair Past and Goose Fair Present are interesting parts of Nottingham’s history and culture.

Early History

Goose Fair is an example of just how staggeringly old England is. Documents show it has been held (almost) continuously for almost 400 years, but it’s possible that its origins date back to Saxon times (410-1066 BCE). Why has it been cancelled? World War II, World War I, and the Black Plague. Commercial fairs were granted by royal charter throughout the 11th and 12th centuries, and documents show autumn fair grants for Nottingham in both 1164 and 1284. Thats so old. Like, mind-bogglingly old. The actual Goose Fair title can be dated to 1541, with September 21st being referred to as “Goose Fair Day”. It’s Goose Fair because geese were driven on foot from nearby Lincolnshire to be sold at the fair’s market. Geese were particularly important for the fair because they were sold for special “Michaelmas” dinners (a Christian festival celebrated in late September).

Goose Fair was moved from late September to the first week of October in 1752 when the British calendar was revised. This fair is older than current calendar systems. England is so insanely old it sounds fake. Anyway, during this period of history the fair was still largely based around the large marketplace and trade hub. Geese and other livestock were traded and sold, as well as agricultural products. Nottinghamshire’s official website describes an incident in 1764 where riots broke out over the increased price of cheese, leading to the city’s mayor crushed under a 100lb wheel of cheese.

Turn of the Century History

The history of Goose Fair is so long that I’m breaking it up into two sections. While the fair had been incorporating side shows and other entertainment elements, the Victorian era was when fun fairs really took off. Goose Fair expanded into the streets surrounding Old Market Square, as the contents of the fair expanded to include animal menageries, dance spectacles, collections of oddities, and mechanical rides. I’m going to talk more about the traditional rides in my next post, as I have a bit of a niche interest in Gilded/Edwardian Era fairground rides. The growth of popularity and size of Nottingham’s Goose Fair during this period, as well as the renovation of Old Market Square led to the fair being moved to the Forest Recreation Ground in 1928, where it is currently held.

Though called off during both periods of war years (1914-1918 and 1939-1945), Goose Fair has continued its operation throughout the 20th century until today.

Midcentury and Beyond

In the 1960s, the city of Nottingham introduced “Goosey”, a large fibreglass goose that sits at the nearest roundabout throughout the duration of Goose Fair. I actually live quite close to the roundabout Goosey is placed at, and my neighbours have told me that some years, university freshman will decorate him as a Freshers prank. I did see him sporting a pretty dapper purple tulle scarf for a day. I’ll miss seeing him on the way to the grocery store. The sixties seem to have been the decade for bringing the “goose” back to “Goose Fair”.

To the right is Tillie the Wandering Goose, and there doesn’t seem to be much information about her, All I know is that this picture was taken at Goose Fair some time during the 1960s. I just love this photo so much. The composition, the contrast, the expression on Tillie’s face… perfection. Was she an attraction? Was she a pet? The guest of honour? Who knows! I love her and her stupid panicky face.

I found some neat video footage of the fair throughout the mid and late 20th century, linked below:

Archive Film (undated) // 1947 // Early 1970s // 1987

I also found this website which boasts the 10 weirdest attractions to have been at Goose Fair. It sounds like clickbait, but “Girl in a bubble bath, £1000 if not alive” definitely ranks up there in my list of weird carnival attractions, so it’s worth checking out.

My next post will be up shortly, in which I talk about my personal experience at Goose Fair, share some of my own pictures, and go in an unnecessarily deep dive into the history of some of the old-timey rides I saw while I was there. Stay tuned!