W. Chadwick & Sons (Established 1889)
Dates
- Existence: Established 1889
Biography
The Chadwick family of Warrington, have been travelling the British fairgrounds for six generations since it was founded in 1889 by Richard Chadwick.
Richard started to travel his Alpine zip wire ride on a horse-drawn wagon around England during the late nineteenth Century. A leading showman of the day, he was present at the formation of the Van Dwellers’ Protection Association, now The Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain, in Salford in November 1889 and the family have been members of the organisation ever since.
Gilbert Chadwick (b.1905) exhibited novelty freak animal shows at Newcastle Town Moor Fair and was one of the most successful showmen to pioneer the trailer mounted fairground shows, ghost trains and fun houses.
The current head of the family Walter Chadwick IV (b.1964) and his wife Hayley (b.1867) still organises Warrington's popular Beach at Bank Park as well as numerous fairs across the UK in 2021.
Gilbert Chadwick Jr (b.1965) is the owner and mastermind behind the famous Chadwick ghost train, decorated by fairground artist Paul Wright in c.1994.
Found in 1 Collection or Record:
Paul Wright Collection
Designs, drawings, research material, a piece of correspondence and some photographs, mainly related to the creative process and conception of the artwork for Chadwick’s Ghost Train as well as Paul Wright's lifetime archive related to his work as a fairground artist.