THE next meeting of Studley Local History Group will feature a talk by local historian Graham Downie on ‘Fairs and Showmen of the Black Country’.
Graham is the chairman of the Fairground Association of Great Britain and editor of its quarterly journal, The Fairground Mercury.
Graham Downie
Before his retirement he was the regional administrator for the Midland Section of the Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain, the trade association of travelling showmen.
His talk will look at the showmen and fairs associated with the Black Country, that once heavily industrialised area that lies between Birmingham and Wolverhampton.
In particular he will focus on Pat Collins, the legendary showman who from his base at Bloxwich was running as many as four fairs a week at the height of his career.
It’s on Tuesday, February 19 at 8.15pm in the parish centre in Studley and entry is £2 for members, £3 for visitors.
The latest edition of the Studley Historian, now in colour, will also be on sale at £1 each.
Also on sale will be the long-awaited volume 2 of ‘Journeys into Studley History; People and Places’ by Arthur Daniels priced at £5.
