Helter Skelters and Baby Elephants
Fairground carriage crash on Bankside Lane
The arrival of the fair transformed the town into a bustling hub of excitement and color. The open land opposite the police station at Bankside became a vibrant tapestry of stalls and amusements, each vying for attention with bright signs and the enticing aromas of sweet treats. The market area, usually known for its daily trade, took on a new life as vendors lined the thoroughfare, offering everything from fresh fruit to the nostalgic crunch of rock biscuits. Amidst the laughter and chatter, children clutched ice cream cones, while the air was sweetened with the scents of brandy snaps and the tropical allure of coconuts.
At the bottom of Bankside Lane, the toy sellers presented a display of craftsmanship with their wooden trucks and trains, evoking a sense of wonder among the young and stirring memories of simpler times for the older crowd. This scene captured the essence of community and the simple joys of life, reminding everyone that happiness can often be found in the shared moments of a fair’s fleeting visit.
Union Street featured a tower-like structure known as the “helter skelter,” which you entered at ground level, carrying a mat with you to the top. Behind the helter skelter were more doll stalls and coconut shies, where the cry was “Three balls a penny.” Children enjoyed roundabouts, Helms bicycles, and hoopla games, hoping to win a prized watch. Numerous shows were held in this part of the fair, including freak shows, lion shows, and boxing booths. The latter, run by Booth’s Boxers, nightly challenged anyone brave enough to go up against one of their fighters for two or three rounds. Many local lads took up the challenge, often likened to “lambs to the slaughter.”
Sedgwick’s Lion Show frequently set up at the entrance to King Street or Irwell Street, inviting members of the public to enter the lion’s cage with a reward of ten shillings for anyone brave enough to do so. One man, Tom Lord, the licensee of the Waterloo Hotel, accepted the challenge but backed out at the last moment.
Roundabouts with their steam pipe organs belted out the best-loved tunes of the day, such as "The Merry Widow," "Oh, Oh, Antonio," or "Walking Out With Angeline," while sometimes interspersing stirring marches. Gaily painted and gilded, these organs typically featured a mechanical figure that waved its arms as though conducting the orchestra. With three or four organs blaring alongside the hooting of steamboats, the noise of the firing range, and the shouts of stallholders and hawkers mingling with the shrieks of children whirling around on hobby horses created a scene of joyful bedlam.
Piebald horses were elaborately decorated and ridden by both men and women, with small Shetland ponies prancing along behind the huge, colorfully adorned circus carts, announcing to the world that the circus had arrived in town. Elephants, camels, and other creatures paraded through the streets, making their way up Lane Head near the cricket field.
One story recounts the tale of two baby elephants who, along with their mothers, participated in the circus around 1885. The mothers were led along Lane Head Lane while the two babies were held back. Children of all ages sat on the cricket field wall, cheering as the baby elephants were finally released to run after their mothers along Lane Head. Lane Head.