Wilkinson, Jack, 1904 - 1979 (Fairground Enthusiast)
Dates
- Existence: 1904 - 1979
Biography
Jack Wilkinson (1904-1979) dedicated his life to reporting the fairgrounds in and around Yorkshire between the 1920s and 1970s. He created meticulous photographic records accompanied by detailed indexes, which have become a historic record of the engines that powered the fairgrounds around Britain at the time. His knowledge and dedication gained him a lasting reputation amongst the expert engine and fairground enthusiasts as well as the travelling showmen and their families.
Jack’s love of fairgrounds emerged from his passion for steam engines. He was employed by John Fowler & Sons building engines at their factory in Leeds. This allowed him to develop in-depth technical knowledge, which in turn help him produce accurate, high quality records, making his photographs of steam engines a unique historic record of these machines in the heyday of the steam powered fair.
Aside from his job at Fowlers, Jack worked as a reporter for the World’s Fair newspaper. For over 50 years, he travelled around the fairgrounds of Yorkshire and its vicinity writing weekly articles, which he signed under the pseudonym ‘Cyclist’, a nickname he gained by always cycling between the fairs.