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All the fun (and history of) the fair!
Roll Up! Roll Up!
A new booklet detailing the history of the fair at Wanstead Flats will be available soon.
From their earliest days fairs have had a reputation for drunkenness, lewdness and riotous behaviour – as well, of course, for fun and pleasure.
The Wanstead Flats fair, which dates back to at least the 1860s, was no exception. This new booklet tells the story of the fair on the Flats, the latest in our series of booklets on the history of the Flats.
A history of the Wanstead Flats funfair (2020 LLHS) price £4 available from Emporium, 8 Sebert Road E7 from June 15 in person, or from Newham Bookshop by mail order (pay by bank card) (020 8552 9993) and soon in person.
Or direct from Peter Williams or Mark Gorman (they can deliver by bike but only in E7, E15 or E11.) Payment preferably by PayPal account to petros.williams@btinternet.com, stating your postal address.
And Peter and Mark are taking part in Newham Heritage Month
Their own talk on the development of Forest Gate as a Victorian suburb is on Saturday June 13 at 1pm via ZOOM software. Find the link on the website: www.newhamheritagemonth.org and book via Eventbrite. You will then be sent a link for the Zoom meeting. Just log in via your internet device. You need to book but its free.
Mark has written an introduction to the month-long festival, and Peter has also written a long piece on the history of prefabricated housing (prefabs) in Newham from World War Two right up to 2020. These will appear on the above website shortly. There is also a blog we have contributed to as we are both now volunteers in the council archive and have worked with the curators of Heritage Month.
Mark is still working on his forthcoming book on saving Epping Forest from development in nineteenth century, and it will be published Spring 2021.
Copies of Peter’s book on the history of the local fire brigade are still available.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/West-Ham-and-its-fire-brigade-an-illustrated-history-1800-1965-ISBN97809934684/333606415696?hash=item4dac7ded50:g:W1gAAOSwuxtczB8I