| Description | An interview with Emily WILSON, a married woman with one son, one daughter, who is a Fairground co. director/showman, born in Manchester and now living in Birmingham. Emily WILSON’s father was a Showman, born in England and her mother a Showman born in England. In the interview, she talks about …
'WILSON, Emily MS2255/2/148 Logged by Simon Cotterill
01
Born in Manchester, 1947. Parents William and Ida Stephens, both of fairground origin. Grandparents both worked on fairgrounds. Did schooling in Gloucestershire in winter, in summer did schooling whereever the fair was.
02
7" 'For most travelling children, they didn't get the education that they really needed'.
1971 - got married. Had two children Emily and William. Wanted them to have a good education. They went to Honeybourne School in Hall Green and the Blue Coat school in Harborne. Getting up early from the fairground sites in London to drive children to school in Birmingham. Eventually let children weekly board in Birmingham. Not having as good an education herself.
3.22 'All fairground families are through lots of generations… we can trace five generations back quite easily'.
Earliest memories of fairgrounds, and making friends as the fairground travelled round.
03
Holidays in Blackpool with parents.
50" 'I think if you go right the way back most fairground people are related somewhere along the line'.
04
Living in caravans.
14" 'I have a caravan now and I have every facility in my caravan that I have in my house'.
There being more of a closeness living in caravans.
1.12" 'I certainly do think caravans are more warmer and cosier than any house'.
Meal times and types. Adapting to later nights when the fair was open. Vast changes to the fairground. Larger work loads.
05
5" 'There's still the traditional sites that will never change'.
Fairs that always take place on a particular day.
58" 'The rides have changed like computers, like every other industry. We're more hi-tech now than ever before'.
Comparing old rides with new. Mobile fairgrounds getting big dippers, log fumes etc. Opposition of theme parks.
3.25" 'There's a lot of parents that can't afford to take their children to theme parks. On a fairground there's no admission charge'.
Bad financial times for fairgrounds in the sixties. Bad weather losing fairgrounds a lot of money.
06
(continued)
07
Moving to Birmingham. Parents always came to Birmingham. Moved to depot in Haymills with husband after marrying in Gloucester.
40" 'It was a little strange at first'.
1.07 'The people round here were very, very friendly and made me feel very welcome'.
Making friends at the Tulip Festival a lot. Having a good social life. Watching singers in tents when fairs were rained off.
3.01" 'To me the Tulip Festival was the best thing Birmingham ever put on. You can't beat Cannon Hill Park with all those thousands of tulips'.
Descriptions of the Tulip Festival. Change from the Tulip Festival to the Spring Festival.
08
Father going off with friends to The Tavern after the Tulip Festival in Cannon Hill Park. Taking the fair to Small Heath, Summerfield, Handsworth, Aston, and Ward End parks and the traditional fairground site at Stechford.
1.19 'I still think Birmingham parks are very, very pretty'.
09
Changes to Haymills. Trouble getting fairground children into schools.
2.34" 'unfortunately at that time we didn't have an Estelle Morris to help out'.
Special teachers coming to help out.
3.20 'They would spend time doing a one to one with the children'.
4.40 'Most of the children now has got computers fitted into their caravans'.
10
Adults learning while children are in school.
12" 'The parents was going into another room and being learnt computers'.
Living in Haymills with thirty other families.
1.27 'Everybody looks out for each other'.
Having their own estate.
11
Prejudices towards travelling showmen.
30" 'I think we get more racist remarks than anybody else does… we're called 'them' and 'that' '.
1.02 'We're a minority group the same as any minority group'.
Husband being awarded an MBE for charity work. Organisation of charity events around Birmingham.
12
The site in Haymills. Used to be rented from the council by her husband's parents since the early 1940s. Buying the site after being approached by the council.
40" 'We'll be here the rest of our lives'.
13
People from the family who chose not to be showmen. Husband's nephews running amusement arcades, bars, and clubs. Would be delighted if grandchildren chose not to lead a travelling life.
1.10 'It isn't an easy life. It's a very hard life'.
14
Changes in Birmingham City Centre.
26" 'I loved Broad Street when all the high class shops were there … Birmingham's equivalent to Bond Street. I don't like the new Broad Street'.
Loving changes around Centenary Square, Brindley Place, and the NIA.
1.50 'I think the Bullring development is only going to enhance Birmingham'.
2.20 'I think all the changes are for the best. We can really now stick our shoulders back and say 'Yes, we are the second city' '.
Carousel outside the Council House at Christmas. Giving a carved horse to the Museum.
15
No one building traditional carousels anymore.
16
Families enjoying fairs. Feeling pleased to donate horse to the museum. Husband's family running the sandpits round the back of Broad Street that were used to build Birmingham.
17
Future. Both children marrying first cousins.
44" 'I just hope both children will carry the industry on'.
1.11 'Hopefully the show will go on for ever'.
ENDS |