🕰️ How old is St Giles’ Fair? A) 100 years B) 250 years C) 400+ years
400 + years
How long does the modern fair last?
Only two days! It runs Monday 7 September and Tuesday 8 September.
In the 1700s St Giles' was called a "toy fair". DId that mean it mainly sold children's toys?
Not exactly! "Toy” could mean small, cheap or useful goods, rather than just toys as we understand them today.
🚂 People once travelled to the fair from as far away as Birmingham and Cardiff. True or false?
TRUE! In Victorian times, special excursion trains brought visitors into Oxford.
Why did the fair get much bigger during Victorian times?
Better transport brought more visitors, while advances in mechanical engineering produced bigger and more exciting rides.
🦁 In 1889, approximately how many animals did one St Giles’ Fair menagerie claim to have? A) 50 B) 200 C) 500
C — 500! The list included lions, tigers, leopards, bears, wolves and ostriches. 😳
Which bizarre attraction really appeared at the Victorian fair? A) Performing fleas B) Racing snails C) Dancing worms
A — performing fleas! They were mentioned in an account of the 1889 fair.
What dangerous-looking entertainment could visitors see in 1889?
Champion shooters firing at fruit placed on a woman's head! Victorian fairground entertainment was rather different from today's…
What could an ordinary visitor challenge someone to do at the 1899 fair?
Box! A boxing booth advertised fighters who were ready to spar with members of the public. 🥊
🌍 Has the fair happened every single year for the last 400 years?
No. One major interruption came during World War II, when the fair paused for several years.
🎪 Some fairground families have been coming to St Giles for how long — 10, 50 or 100+ years?
100+ years! One showman family, theHebborns, first attended in 1883, and fairground pitches have traditionally been handed down through families.
