Carter's Steam Fair
| Carters Steam Fair | |
|---|---|
| Origin | |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Founder(s) | John and Anna Carter |
| Year founded | 1976 |
| Information | |
| Operator(s) | The Carter Family and associates |
| Status | Touring during 2017 season |
| Traveling or static? | Traveling |
| Home base / winter quarters | Adjacent to White Waltham Airfield, near Maidenhead, in Berkshire |
| Number of rides | Around 19 (dependent on site/ location) |
| Restrictions? | Height and age restrictions dependent on ride |
| Other attractions? | Food and drink stalls, sideshows and games |
| Facilities? | No toilets provided by Carters, car parking based on site facilities |
| Contact address | Carters Yard, White Waltham, Near Maidenhead, Berkshire SL6 3LW |
| Website | http://www.carterssteamfair.co.uk/ |
| Audio soundscape of Carters Steam Fair | |
 Carters Steam Fair visits Hersham in Surrey: among the general background hubbub, rock'n'roll plays on a waltzer ride while a barrel organ plays in front of a dive-bomber ride.From here retrieved 23 Jun 2010 |
Carters Steam Fair (no apostrophe is used in the name) is a travelling vintage fair. Founded in 1977 by John Carter (1942-2000), this family business is now managed by the second generation of Carters.
Carters operate and maintain a large collection of vintage rides and sidestalls, ranging in date from the 1870s to the 1960s, and every season they are travelled with vintage heavy lorries and traditional showman’s living wagons. The fair provides an opportunity to enjoy historic equipment and artwork.
Their operating base and restoration workshops are immediately adjacent to White Waltham Airfield, near Maidenhead, in Berkshire.
Carters Steam Fair is a travelling collection of rare working funfair rides, As at April 2016, currently touring rides with the Fair are:
In 2014, Carters Steam Fair moved from taking cash payments at each attraction to a token coin system. As at April 2016, there have been two distinct minting productions featuring different designs. Both designs feature the representation of a Galloper ride horse on the reverse, along with the texts "Carters Steam Fair", "No cash value", and "No refund value" around the image on the coin's edge. Additionally, the text "1 Token" appears across the horse's neck horizontally in a rectangular box. All text is presented in block letters.
The obverse of the 2014 coin token features a representation of the comedian Harry Hill, wearing a paper Christmas cracker hat. Originally Hill was going to design an image himself for this first minting, but in the event he was also about to put on a stage show and was too busy to fit it in and so with his blessing, Carters put his portrait on the coin instead.
The obverse of the 2014 coin token features a representation of the late John Carter whom in 1977 purchased the Steam Gallopers along with his wife Anna, and thus started what was to become Carters Steam Fair.
A number of die-cast models featuring the name of and / or reproducing vehicles used by Carters Steam Fair have been produced;
The Fair has been featured in many films including;
The Kaiser Chiefs Meanwhile Up in Heaven music video was filmed on the fair in 2014.
Bartrip, P.W.J., The state and the steam boiler in Britain International review of social history 25, 1980, 77-105, Government intervention and the role of interest groups in 19th Century Britain in regard to stationary boilers.
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