Arthur Jones Collection
Scope and Contents
The photograph library of the Friendship Circle of Showland Fans (FCFS). This collection includes material relating to famous fairs, engines and rides. As well as containing a full bound set of 'Merry-Go-Round' journals and numerous books, letters and other journals. The collection includes various catalogues and notebooks documenting the use of traction engines on the fairground.
Dates
- Creation: c1900 - 1979
Creator
- Jones, Arthur, Active c1890 -1979 (Fairground Enthusiast) (Person)
- William Foster & Co. Ltd (1846 - 1960) (Organisation)
Conditions Governing Access
Items are available to view by appointment in the NFCA reading room
Conditions Governing Use
Copies may by supplied or produced at the discretion of the National Fairground and Circus Archive, subject to copyright law and condition of material
Biographical / Historical
Arthur was the librarian of the original fairground enthusiast organisation the Friendship Circle of Showland Fans (FCSF). His role was to coordinate the borrowing of photograph albums and books. The nature of the prominence of certain individual members in the FCSF, and its over-riding imperative to document a 'bygone era' through its rapid disappearance meant that much of the photographic material of the FCSF became homogenised. Arthur's own photographs, taken in and around his Burton-on-Trent base, were not widely circulated apart from his more 'obvious' images of rides, organs and engines.
Arthur had a keen eye and fascination for documenting the social scene of the fairground. Most of his images came from the visits of the Pat Collins firm to Burton-on-Trent, Arthur's regular ventures east in neighbouring Leicestershire to see the Holland families and the odd trip into the bordering Derbyshire to see showmen such as Tom Jervis.
Extent
8 Box(es) (1,827 photographs and 1 box of archive)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
Catalogued according to type
Subject
- Friendship Circle of Showland Fans. (FCSF) (c1940 - 1969) (Organisation)
- World's Fair Publications Limited (Established 1904) (Organisation)
- James Noyce & Sons Funfair (Established c1800) (Organisation)
Cultural context
Occupation
Topical
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Created by Ian Trowell and Jane Donaldson, updated by Arantza Barrutia on Finding Aid Date field
- Date
- 13 March 2014
- Description rules
- International Standard for Archival Description - General
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the National Fairground and Circus Archive Repository
The University of Sheffield
Western Bank
Sheffield South Yorkshire S10 2TN United Kingdom
0114 222 7231
lib-special@sheffield.ac.uk