More information about the East Anglian Fairs can be found at the East Anglian Fairs 1972 – 1986

Diss Corn Hall Celebration 10/9/’11

Double rainbow, (almost visible here..) outside The Corn Hall preceding the evening session.

“From the suggestion of Terence Blacker at a Diss Corn Hall meeting of the programming group last year came the idea of celebrating the Barsham and Albion Fairs of nearly 40 years ago. As one of the guardians of the Archive I immediately suggested putting on the Exhibition in the Stables Gallery, which doubles as the Corn Hall box office.
Terence suggested getting in touch with some of those people who were involved in the 70s and 80s to get the ball rolling and see what kind of event might accompany the exhibition. Two great meetings were held at my house, lots of reconnections made, but few actually offered much practical help except Gurn who said he’d be there for physical help at any event we organised. As we all know he tragically died earlier this year.
KAren With and I ended up doing the organising and contacting of performers, others helped with promoting and publicising. Mike and Martin spent many hours designing and writing the magnificent story boards for the exhibition. We had a great exhibition opening night in early August which was the start of the grand re-unions, followed up by Saturday’s one day event. 

Waveney Greenpeace Fair Sunday 4th Sept ’11

On Sunday the 4th we took the Exhibition to the Waveney Greenpeace Fair at Henham Park.
With the new information boards, (first seen at the Diss Corn Hall), it’s now starting to look like a proper exhibition at last.
We seem to be progressing organically, getting slowly more organised as we watch it grow. But wasn’t that how it was with the fairs? The organic way, nature’s flow manifesting itself, or something like that…

Anyway I’m digressing, I’ve been asked to say something about the Greenpeace Fair, so I should.

This is a welcome return for an end of season fair which missed out last year due to a loss of venue. It’s one that’s always been worth going to, with plenty of entertainment and shopping to keep anyone occupied for the day and with the fair spread out in an area encircled by mature trees, this year was no exception. Hopefully they may have found a new home to continue fundraising for such a worthwhile cause.

It was a good day for us. After being helped along by the lovely Greepeace crew to set up, we had lots of visitors, lots of talk. Promises of donations of photos and other material, some of which has actually been sent in, remarkably. We do get many promises, but somehow the old memory slips once the day has passed and there’s a silence as we wait for those potential gems to arrive.

Posterity over nostalgia has become my watchword recently. Handling all these memories in the form of photos on almost a daily basis has forced me find some way to prevent myself from being overwhelmed. So I concentrate on the purpose of this endeavour, which is to collect and archive as much material as is out there and make it safe for posterity before we all leave the scene permanently.

I’m always struck by the range and variety of memories that people share with us, especially in Henham Park that day, but the one thing that’s strikingly noticeable is that they are always joined by a common thread. That sense of an indefinable magic and specialness which deeply affected everyone at the time, even changed some peoples lives, never fails to be mentioned at some point. No matter whether the person is being nostalgic or not, that element is always there. It makes them stand apart from all other recollections that pile up over a lifetime.
I’m sure this is a familiar story to everyone by now.

So I can report that the day went well. Threatening rain eventually arrived to finish our part of the day and we struck camp in the wet, reluctantly leaving as the sun returned and the evening entertainment began.

Martin H.

Exhibition Launch

The exhibition ended up consisting of:

25 posters on the walls and more in a rack.

5 large boards covered with blurbs on different facets of the fairs, quotes from crew and fairgoers, and loads of photos and images.

3 binders of fairs related material including flyers, announcements, small posters, minutes and press cuttings

2 binders of Waveney Clarion excerpts and related material

A 13 minute slide show with an audio track of authentic Barsham sounds

About 50 people turned up. Enough to overspill into the Corn Hall yard and neighboring pubs. Maximum chatting, minimal speechifying.

Lots of enthusiasm for the gathering on Sept 10th. If you are intending attending it would be useful if you could buy your ticket in advance

Click on the pics for a better view.

Music and dance

Who played at which events?

I’ll name a few:

Performers and performances

Who thrilled us and made us laugh? What shows, what years?

I’ll start it off, you add what you can

From Barsham to Albion – an exhibition

“This is history. Dig this jazz. And it’s beautiful jazz.”
On June 18th 1971 a meeting was held to consider the proposal for a medieval fair. By the second meeting, held in Mutford on the 30th June, Barsham had been agreed as the most suitable site for such a venture.

Now here we are, forty years on, preparing the exhibition on the years that followed.

Can you help?
How did you come across the fairs?
What are the lasting impressions which come to mind? Which were your favourite moments? What do you think made them special?

Beyond the nostalgia factor is the need to convey what was different about the fairs to the people who never went to any, have never heard of them or weren’t born until they had stopped happening.

Albion Fairs Revisited Diss Corn Hall

Hope to see you at the following events at Diss Corn Hall. Please forward to anyone and everyone!

An exhibition in the Old Stables Gallery (Corn Hall)
4-26 August 11am-4pm Mon-Sat Free
From Barsham to Albion
–an archive of material from the East
Anglian Fairs of the 70s and 80s

Saturday 10 September Noon-5pm & 7pm to midnight
Tickets Day + Evening Adults £10 / Children £5
Day or Evening only Adults £7 / Children £3.50
Barsham and Albion Fairs
Revisited

Waveney Clarion 1973 – 1984: Summary of contents

Don, onetime editor of the Clarion, having recently retired from his job at Sustrans, has been keeping himself busy compiling the following information. Anyone possessing any of the missing issues could help by sending in a contents summary.

1973

1/1 Feb. Clarion launched from 3 Marsh Lane, Gillingham Beccles. Main contents – Beccles By-pass, Barsham Fair ‘73; need for rural playing fields; saving allotments. No intro about Clarion. First ever Coypu Comix Strip. Price 10p.

2/1 March. Golf Club extension on Southwold Common; list of shops selling Clarion; one-page article on Black Shuck; announcement of Clarion ‘Travelling Circus’ of local entertainments.

3/1 April. First mention of Clarion subscriptions. Major items on preventing closure of local churches; caravans on Dip Farm, Lowestoft; post of Bungay Reeve; beer; and moated farmhouses.

4/1 May. The importance of May; problems over rural footpaths; ‘Aliens over East Anglia’; fishing for trout; folk music dates.

5/1 June. Long article (‘Dwellers in Paradise’) on the oral history tradition of East Anglia. More from ‘Friends & Neighbours’ column and the Arran Pilot’s regular gardening slot. Four letters from the public, and one page article on E.Anglian round church towers.

6/1 July. Several articles on cycling: its neglect by local Councils, suggested routes, and why we should revive it. Also: herbs, beer, fishing, phantom cyclist of Barnby.

7/1 August. History of the herring; importance of Parish Councils, Barsham Faire 1973.

BARSHAM FAIRE SPECIAL EDITION. 10 pages of features and guide to the Fair.

The origin and outlook of the Waveney Clarion

In 1972, the first Barsham Fair was held at Roos Hall, Beccles. To the amazement of the organisers it was an enormous success, not just in terms of numbers and public enthusiasm. Clearly there were many like-minded souls in the area, with the stated need to stay in touch – not least for preparation of another Fair.

This was an era before mobile phones or the internet. It was decided that a monthly newspaper was the best way forward, and the Clarion was launched with a grant of £100. Led by Sandra Bell’s drive and journalism expertise, the paper embodied the ‘Do it!’ ethos of the era, and went on to become an essential element that held the alternative community together. It attracted writers, designers, environmental activists, local readers, and those in search of the latest news on folk, cinema, music and the Fairs. In retrospect, one of its main achievements was to cover lucidly topics then on the fringe but which entered mainstream thinking 20-30 years later.