Dates

• Existence: Established c1871 - 1872

Biography

The Tuby family history in the British fairground expands 150 years. The first member of the family to get involved with the travelling fairground, was originally a railway worker from North Yorkshire, who moved the family to Doncaster to work at the Great Northern Railway Plant Works. In c1871 Mr Tuby decided to become a showman and with the help of his son George Thomas (Tom) Tuby (1857-1932), he started to travel a shooting gallery around the fairs of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. As the business grew rides and other sideshows were added including a set of swing boats, coconut shies and a peep show, a wooden contraption in which the viewer could see dramatic presentations of current events such as contemporary wars narrated by Tom and accompanied by organ music.

The Tubys like most showmen at the time were very adaptable to change and eager to embrace new technologies and fashions for the advancement of the family business. In around 1874 they welcomed the new craze for photography and built a photographic booth which Tom managed.

By 1887, the Tubys had purchased their first steam engine, which marked the mechanisation of the fairground transport and rides, making it possible to increase the size and sophistication of the rides and the length of travel. The technological advancements of the industrial revolution transformed the British fairground and the Tuby family’s business, which continued thriving.

Tom Tuby was also well known for his charitable work and generosity and in 1921 he was elected Alderman George Thomas Tuby, Mayor of Doncaster and served for a term.

Tom Tuby died in 1932 and his descendants continued the family business, being a regular presenter at the Yorkshire fairgrounds. Currently the business is headed by Roger Tuby and his son, who run many of the large funfairs in the North of England.

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