British Fairground Society (BFS) (Established c1950)
Dates
- Existence: Established c1950
Biography
The British Fairground Society originated from the Friendship Circle of Showland Fans, which at the end of the 1940s descended into some controversy and some members formed a separate organisation. The BFS published a similar journal to the FCSF entitled 'The Tober'. The following decade, the 1950s, saw some rivalry between these two organisations with regular heated discussions alongside some of the landmark engines at the big fairs. The FCSF had survived its controversy and, much to the efforts of Bill Wilkins of Tewkesbury and Stuart Johnstone, kept up a regular publishing regime.
By the end of the 1950s the BFS had ceased publishing and the FCSF publications were dwindling in useful content. The nostalgia-facing outlook was starting to dry up and repeat articles from earlier and out-of-print editions, and the society had still not grasped any kind of sense of imperative for an engagement with the contemporary fairground. Meanwhile specialist interest in fairground organs had migrated to the Fairground Organ Preservation Society (FOPS) founded in 1957, and traction engines to the Leeds and District Traction Engine Club who, by forming in 1963, absorbed the remains of the BFS. The FOPS hit the ground running with its 'Key Frame' publication and continues with some strength to this day.
Found in 8 Collections and/or Records:
Correspondence, 1901 - 1976
David Braithwaite's correspondence with various people and organisations including Orton and Spooner, Savages, The British Fairground Society, the Showland Library, The Showmen's Guild of Great Britain, Allan Herschell and Kenneth Brown. Some correspondence is under his old name David Bottoms.
Correspondence with H. J. Barker, 1953 - 1961
Large selection of correspondence between David Braithwaite and H.J. Barker of the British Fairground Society, including some letters under Braithwaite’s old name David Bottoms. Typescript and manuscript.
Correspondence with Sergeant B. Taylor, 1963
Correspondence between David Braithwaite and Sergeant Taylor of the Fairground Society. Typescript.
David Braithwaite Collection
This collection contains photographs taken by David Braithwaite from the 1950s and used towards his publications alongside older images collected from other sources as well as business records, monographs, articles, correspondence, newspaper cuttings, advertising material, bibliographies, catalogues, programmes, films and some other miscellaneous items.
Harry Poole Collection
Black and white photographs of rides, engines, shows and acts as well as scrapbooks of newspaper cuttings from 'The World's Fair' including British Fairground Society Notes, 1949-1963 and scrapbooks relating to fairs, particularly in the Lancashire area.
National Fairground and Circus Archive Collection
Contains thousands of posters, programmes, photographs, handbills, original documents, specialist journals, newspapers and a library containing publications on all the areas of collecting
Scrapbooks, c1940 - 1969
Booklets of newspaper cuttings from the World’s fair Newspaper, including British fairground Society Notes including and some booklets related to fairs particularly in the Lancashire area.
Scrapbooks, 1949 - 1963
Booklets of newspaper cuttings from the World’s fair Newspaper, including British fairground Society Notes. Also directory of the Harry Poole’s World’s Fair scrapbooks 1-20 (typescript) and Harry Poole’s scrapbooks(manuscript) containing selected references to the content.