A Hucknall History

Huthwaite Entertainment

Wakes Fairgrounds & Circus

Wakes hold broader association with death ending a timely vigil just in case the mourned departed might awaken. But there's no macabre reason why folk here used to get excited about forthcoming Wakes. Alternative origins have evolved from Anglo-Saxon Christianity encouraging festive parish church fairs. Term is mostly kept amongst Midland regions, where many localities enjoyably anticipated visiting travelling fairgrounds annually bringing a holiday mood with familiar booths, rides and circus performances.

Travelling entertainment is noted first coming to Sutton from William Rhodes personal journal dating 1867 Pinders Circus here. Communities readily welcomed those Big Top performers, who'd quickly taken advantage of railway networks. Acts including rare sight of wild and exotic animals brought a useful team of elephants promoting journey plus assisting haulage between sites.

Steam traction engines designed for agricultural work were soon after powering thrilling fairground rides. They became commonly called Steam Rollers having mostly been seen flattening road surfaces suiting modern vehicles. Altogether, it brought the Wakes to Huthwaite Market Place, seen c1910 from what must have been the Wilson's bedroom window. Elders recalled later alternative sites upon the Recreation and Welfare Parks, when a named Lord Kitchener steam traction engine generated sufficient power.

Youngsters eagerly ran errands for fairground operators during the erecting upon beer crates of rides like Cranky Hosses Carousel, Swing Boat, Cake Walk and Flying Chairs. Their reward was gathering free tickets enabling first rides, even if realising they actually were testing out the equipment. Boxing fans were unsure when fairs last staged Bare Knuckle challenges, but retold postwar tale how some humorous pranksters claimed the cranky horses had been released - all soon found left out grazing Jack Wrights Tops.

Sutton Lammas

Seems appropriate here also retelling how past generations remembered some very ornate horse drawn Gypsy caravans keeping camps in Huthwaite. Roving Gypsies peddling wares probably predate the travelling professions of friendlier circus and fairground operators, who claimed no connection except for seeing likewise romantic portrayal of free lifestyles. A few kept returning to push overpriced cloth pegs, washing lines or shoddy ironing board covers door to door. Claiming mystical fortune telling powers worthy of extra silver led to personally hearing 1970s muttered curses aimed at any disinterested buyers. Huthwaite no longer tolerates unlicensed camps, long after realising their motorised mobile homes always caused destructive waves leaving a costly wake.