Dates

• Existence: c1875 - 1915

Biography

The Aspland-Howden amusements company was established by brothers in law, George Aspland and Benjamin Howden.

Aspland-Howden inaugurated the travelling year at King’s Lynn Mart, the first fair of the season and the one where traditionally new rides where showcased.

Ben joined the family fairground business as a child, while still attending school, performing small tasks such as feeding the cardboard into the mechanical organ and collecting fares.

George Aspland first started working in the fairs with a rudimentary shooting gallery, which evolved as the business progress. In time George purchased a photo booth, which he travelled together with the shooting gallery. By 1872, George had added a man powered bicycle ride and by 1880 an additional Sea on Land by Savages Ltd.

In 1875 George Aspland was joined by Ben Howden, forming Aspland-Howden. Ben brought his engineering skills to the business which complemented George's skills with the running of the rides and the photographic booth.

In 1895, when George retired, Ben took ownership of the business and continued running it under the unified family name of Aspland-Howden. By this time the firm had added a set of gallopers and a Gondola Switchback to their portfolio of rides and amusements and later in 1900 they continued expanding with the addition of a Razzle Dazzle and a bioscope show made by Orton and Spooner. It was this last show that will define the family's future as they stopped travelling in the mid-1900s to open static cinemas at Boston and Spalding, like many fairground families did at this time with the advent of cinema and the decline of itinerant bioscope shows.

Found in 3 Collections and/or Records: