It's one of the biggest and most well-known fairs in the country
Goose Fair is famed for its flashing lights, thrilling white knuckle rides and the aroma of mushy peas and doughnuts wafting over the Forest Recreation Ground. It's one of the biggest and most well-known fairs in the country but it wasn't always about rides and entertainment.
"It is not certain where the fair was held during the medieval period, though it has been suggested that it was held on Carlton Street. During the medieval period, Carlton Street had a large open space and was known as Swine Green. It appears by 1577 part of the fair may have been held in the Old Market Square because in that year some stalls or booths were built on Timber Row for a fair," said Mr Lomax.
The fair's original purpose was to sell goods and livestock. Some accounts refer to 20,000 geese, with their feet tarred, walking from the Lincolnshire fens to be sold for the traditional Michaelmas dish, but no one knows if that was true. As the years rolled by more and more people began to look upon the fair as an excuse for a good time. In the 19th and early 20th centuries Bostock and Wombwell's Menagerie - also known as the Beast Show - rolled up with a collection of animals and birds rarely seen in the UK at that time such as elephants, lions and tigers - plus Billy the pelican.
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