Biography

Pete Tei is one of the leading traditional fairground artists in the United Kingdom.

From a very young age Pete started to collect Dinky toys and transport related items. This awoke an interest in fairgrounds after observing the seasonal arrival of the showmen’s trucks and lorries into his town. By the time he was seven, Pete started to visit fairgrounds with his best friend Ken Mellors. Initially, they both felt attracted by the transport, but gradually their interest expanded to the rides. Pete and Ken joined other enthusiasts building models of the fair including transport, rides and stalls. In the mid-1960s, they started to show their models, which attracted the attention of the showmen. The showmen saw potential in Pete’s artistic skills and advised him to visit veteran fairground artist Fred Fowle (1914-1983). In 1970, Pete finally mustered enough courage to visit Fred and ask him to become his mentor. From the fist moment, Fred welcomed Pete with open arms and taught him everything he knew about fairground art and the business. At this time Pete was working in a cabinet making factory but in November 1975 he was made redundant. The following year Pete’s father died and he struggled to overcome his loss, until October, when he decided to visit Belper Fair to cheer himself up. At Belper, Pete met showman Albert Holland, who offered him his first commission to paint a fairground ride. Pete accepted the commission and proceeded to paint Holland’s Cyclone Twist handrails, trellis and paybox and set up Tate Décor in the process, on 23rd November 1976. Although the job was harder than anticipated, Pete learnt a lot about the showman community and the business. Holland’s Cyclone, became Pete’s advertising board to other showmen and the work started to flow in. Over the last five decades, Pete has become one of the most sought after traditional fairground artist in Britain and has developed his own signature style, known as the Tate Scroll.