Vic Cross documents the first Alnwick Fair in 1969 in this amateur film shot in rich 8mm Kodachrome. In its heyday the week-long fair was a much-anticipated event for the Alnwick community, where shopkeepers, parents and schoolchildren dressed up in historical costume and crowds lined the streets to cheer on the parade. Pub-goers enjoyed merriment and bar games and pillar events such as the annual strongman gathered large crowds. A 2008 Northumberland Gazette article reported that interest in...

Vic Cross documents the first Alnwick Fair in 1969 in this amateur film shot in rich 8mm Kodachrome. In its heyday the week-long fair was a much-anticipated event for the Alnwick community, where shopkeepers, parents and schoolchildren dressed up in historical costume and crowds lined the streets to cheer on the parade. Pub-goers enjoyed merriment and bar games and pillar events such as the annual strongman gathered large crowds. A 2008 Northumberland Gazette article reported that interest in the fair has gradually waned over the last few years, meaning the event was shortened to five days in 2004 and in 2006 it became more akin to an arts festival. In 2008, the fair committee decided not to run the event for the first time since 1969 due to lack of interest from the Alnwick community. (1)

In the opening sequence, shots of Alnwick Castle set the scene. Inhabited by the House of Percy since the 14th century, Alnwick Castle is the second largest inhabited castle in England after Windsor Castle and is in the top 10 of visited stately homes in England.  Alnwick Castle gained world fame after it was used as a stand in for the interior and exterior shots of Hogwarts school in the Harry Potter films, as well as appearances in many other well-loved films and television shows such as Downton Abbey and Black Adder. The castle has been renovated numerous times over its 800 year history, but the general layout remains as it was in the 12th century. The Strawberry Hill-esque gothic features installed in the 18th century were removed in the late 19th century by the 4th Duke. In the Victorian era, the interiors of the castle were redecorated in an opulent Italianate style by Luigi Canina.

The 10th Duke and Duchess of Northumberland, Hugh Percy and his wife Elizabeth Percy, make an appearance towards the end of the film, getting into the spirit of the fair dressed in historical costume. The Percys would have been living in Alnwick Castle at the time of filming, as do all Duke and Duchesses of Northumberland while in tenure. Hugh Percy remained Duke of Northumberland until his death in 1988 whereupon the position was taken over by his eldest son, Henry ‘Harry’ Percy. Harry Percy embarked on a film career and has one credit on the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) for playing the character George in the 1994 film Lost in Africa. (2) Harry passed away one year later, leaving the Dukedom to his younger brother and current holder, Ralph Percy, 11th Duke of Northumberland.  

Various local businesses are featured in the film, either by way of shots of store fronts or advertising on the side of horse-pulled drays. In a crowd shot of the parade we see Maynards sweet shop in Fenkle Street. Despite the shop being long closed and the site now occupied by The Chocolate Spa, the area is still known locally as Maynards corner. The old Maynards toffee factory in the Ouseburn in Newcastle is at the centre of regeneration plans for the area, with hopes that it will be converted into plush office space for creative digital agencies. 

Still one of the most iconic North Eastern brands, Ringtons, is advertised on a passing trade cart. Ringtons has been manufacturing and delivering tea to businesses and households across the North East and nationwide since 1907. Founded by Samuel Smith, the company is best known for its tea, though it soon began stocking general groceries such as coffee, biscuits and sweets.

Horses pull a dray painted red with the word Sunderland in large letters. This is possibly an advertisement for Vaux Brewery of Sunderland which used a vivid red in its branding. Founded in Sunderland in 1806, Vaux Brewery was a major employer in the city for almost 200 years, right up until its much lamented closure in 1999. Vaux was the first UK brewery to brew a wheat beer, however its most iconic output was the North Eastern-style brown ale, Double Maxim.

The costumed parade walks past a local business named Douglas Bell Ltd. In 2015 the Northumberland Gazette published historical stories from their archives. One such story reported in 1965 of the frustrations of local Alnwick trader Douglas Bell who launched an attack on what he considered to be unfair trading by electricity boards. Bell, an electrical supplier of Bondgate Within, believed electricity boards had an unfair monopoly on the sale of electrical appliances against which the private dealer could not compete. He told the Gazette, “The boards supply their own special lines such as cookers, refrigerators, irons and kettles, which are manufactured to their own specification and not available to private traders,” which he explained “are sold at a lower retail price than similar appliances offered by the private dealer.” (3)

The parade is headed by the town crier wearing a costume of red coat, white breeches and black tricorne hat; a tradition which dates back to the 18th century. The role of a town crier is to make public announcements while carrying a handbell to attract people’s attention as they shout the words "Oyez, Oyez, Oyez!" before making their announcements. The word "Oyez" translates as "hear ye," in call for silence and attention. In Medieval England, town criers provided the main means of communication of news to a predominantly illiterate townsfolk. Announcements such as royal proclamations, bylaws, market days and public interest notices were proclaimed by the crier. As the population become more literate and the printed word more accessible due to technological advancements, the role of the town crier fell into folklore and became enacted for more ceremonial purposes during special events. Various councils in England and Wales have revived the role of town crier as a paid role, and as of 2010, 144 towns in England and Wales employed town criers, mainly to perform at charity and ceremonial events.

References

(1) Death of Alnwick Fair https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/death-of-alnwick-fair-1-1407458

(2) Harry Percy https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0672912/

(3) Looking back 10, 25, 50 years ago https://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/lifestyle/looking-back-10-25-50-years-ago-published-gazette-march-5-2015-1-7140923