The Annual Nottingham Goose fair
5th October to 8th October 2000
Nottingham's famous Goose Fair, the origins of which may date back to Robin Hood's time, wasofficially opened at 12 noon on Thursday October 5 by the Lord Mayor of Nottingham, Councillor Ian Malcolm The Lord Mayor rang a pair of silver bells after the Town Clerk has read the Proclamation in the presence of the Sheriff of Nottingham and other civic dignitaries.
Now in its 706th year, Goose Fair has something to offer everyone, from the latest white-knuckle rides to Victorian side stalls. It one of Europe's largest travelling fairs, with more than 150 rides and 450 games and exhibitions to thrill and amuse.
Goose Fair was first mentioned in the Nottingham Borough Records of 1541 but the Charter of King Edward I, the first charter to refer to the city fairs, makes it clear that a fair on the Feast of St. Matthew was already established in Nottingham in 1284.
For hundreds of years, Goose Fair was held in the heart of the city on the Great Market Place in front of the Exchange where the Council House stands today. But its increasing size made relocation inevitable and during the 1920's, the fair moved to its present site on the Forest Recreation ground a mile or so to the north of the Old Market Square. .
Goose
Fair in the Market Square 1910
Goose Fair in the Market Square 1914
Goose Fair in the Market Square 1927
