The Gypsy Horse Fair at Stow-on-the-Wold

The Stow-on-the-Wold Horse Fair Gloucestershire has taken place twice a year since 1476 It is centuries old, starting originally as a hiring fair in the middle ages when farm workers would be employed for the coming year..
It attracts hundreds of visitors and Gipsies from all over England who come to trade horses and meet old friends.
Numerous stallholders sell everything from decorative cushions to house signs, decorative lamps and paintings. A lot of saddlery gear is for sale. Horses will be traded. There will be some modern caravans, but a large quantity of traditional Romany caravans can also be seen. Not everyone in Stow welcomes the gipsies and there is some opposition to the fair.
Detractors claim that the town has 'outgrown’ the fair and that it’s bad for its image as a tourist hot spot.For the gipsies the fair is a high point of their year. It’s ostensibly an opportunity for gipsy men to get together to trade horses, but it’s also a collective celebration of what it means to be a gipsy, and, freed briefly from the confines of trailer lifeThe Fair, held in May and October each year at Stow on the Wold,is mainly a horse fair organised and run by Gypsy Travellers. Families arrive up to a week before the fair day, always a Thursday, to meet old friends and relations. On fair day, horses are displayed pulling trotting carts up and down the road and deals are struck.


One of the old Romany Vardos on display
at Stow and many of the horses being trotted out to be sold.
















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APPLEBY HORSE FAIR
Appleby Fair runs for a week in June, ending on the 2nd wednesday in June, in the town of Appleby-in-Westmorland, Cumbria. It is probably the best known of the horse fairs attended by Romany families travelling to meet up with old friends and conduct business. It is world famous, the largest of its kind in the world, and attracts a huge Gypsy gathering. It has existed as a fair for horse trading since 1685, under the protection of a charter granted by James II.


The field on the outskirts of Appleby originally known as Gallows Hill, due to its usage in earlier times is now called Fair Hill and looks over the town of Appleby. During the Fair, horses may be found everywhere - in the river, on its banks, along the roadsides or tethered outside hotels and shops. The tradition of racing and trotting the horses along Flashing Lane takes place throughout the day.The main road from Appleby to Brampton is closed to allow sellers to display horses to potential buyers by trotting them back and forth along the roadway. Each day during the fair, horses are led down to the River Eden, near the town centre, to be washed and groomed ready for the day’s trading.
Of course horses are not the only commodity available for sale and for centuries other goods have been sold at the fair. There are at least a hundred stalls in the field next to Fair Hill selling saddlery, clothing, pottery, books, footwear and various souvenirs - most of these trading stalls are open from Friday morning until Sunday or Monday evening.
Appleby Fair is well worth a visit, there is no entrance fee and a whole day can easily be spent visiting the fair and exploring the town.











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If you are looking for an excellent fun and action packed day out for all the family, you'll love the Great Dorset Steam Fair. Traditionally this English fair is held at the village of Tarrant Hinton, near Blandford Forum in the heart of the beautiful Dorset countryside. Further directions are superfluous. Just find the village on the map, head in that direction and follow everyone else!
From small beginnings this annual event has become one of the favoured places for those interested in how people lived, worked and played in bygone years and it is now widely recognised as "THE" National Heritage Show as well as being regarded as the leading show of its type in the World. The spectacle covers an enormous showground, at over 600 acres being one of Europe's largest outdoor event locations. 2009 sees the show in its 41st year.
You can stand amazed at the variety of exhibitions and the sheer scale of the show means that there is always something new to see. For the first time visitor seeing the Great Dorset Steam Fair can be quite an awe inspiring and impressive site, a sea of marquees and attractions that can take your breath for a moment.
The show has something for everyone, whatever your interests! Maybe you are a collector, a steam fanatic, an exhibitor, a heavy horse fan, an avid camper, a music fan or just on holiday in the South of England at the end of August/beginning of September and fancy an excursion to what is described as the most remarkable show on earth!
Browse through our website and you will find everything you need to know about the show, whether you have visited it before or if you are a complete beginner. You can contact us with enquiries by just clicking on the contact button.
You can see all of our features detailed on this site and keep track of days to go, check trade stand prices, information on exhibiting, see details of tickets for visitors, advanced booking incentives, camping and entertainments amongst other valuable information.
Make a note of the dates of this year’s show, they are: Wednesday 2nd September, Thursday 3rd September, Friday 4th September, Saturday 5th September and Sunday 6th September.
Keep checking this site for all details.
The Great Dorset Steam Fair is a typically British event offering a unique blend of nostalgia and entertainment. Come and soak up the special festival atmosphere whether as a day visitor or taking in the full five days by camping on site. There is no other event like it anywhere in the world which is why over 200,000 visitors attend each year both from the UK and from all over the World!
Visit this colourful show once and you'll be hooked for life. You must go!
Why not join our new "Friends Association".
Also have a look at our great new hospitality packages!
E-mail enquiries:
enquiries@gdsf.co.uk

Call: +44 (0)1258 860361
Postal enquiries:
Dairy House Farm, Child Okeford, Blandford, Dorset DT11 8HT, UK