‘Largest vintage funfair in the world’ for sale after 45 years of touring nation

A traditional English travelling funfair, which has been running for the last 45 years, finishes its final tour at the end of October.

Carters Steam Fair, which runs at Reading’s Prospect Park until October 30, is up for sale with the hope of finding a permanent site and a new owner.

The fair, which featured in the films Rocketman and Paddington 2, has various vintage rides and games including a chair-o-plane, dodgems and a coconut shy. All of the rides, which date from the 1890s to the 1960s, have been restored to their original style.

Joby Carter, 47, who manages the fair and has worked on it since he was a child, said that the decision to sell up had been “a long time coming”.

Mr Carter said: “We’re not taking it lightly because I live and breathe the fair. I love it. But the pandemic came along and I was introduced to these things called weekends. I got to see my family more and I did reasonable hours in the day.

“It showed me a different way of life. I wrote a signwriting book; I taught signwriting online.”

The funfair began in 1977 when Mr Carter’s parents, John and Anna Carter, bought an 1895 Jubilee Steam Gallopers ride. They then added more rides to their collection and became known as a specialist in vintage fairground rides. The newest of the rides was built in 1965. Mr Carter said it is the largest vintage travelling funfair in the world.

The most recent tour started in April and has visited Berkshire, Surrey, Essex, Hertfordshire, London, Buckinghamshire, Staffordshire, Somerset and Hampshire.

Mr Carter said that the family are selling the fair because it is difficult to find staff and that the rides get damaged while touring because of being exposed to the elements. This then results in lots of restoration work being necessary. For this reason, he said, the rides would be best located on a permanent site under cover.

Having received no “sensible offer”, Mr Carter said: “We would happily run it ourselves if we thought that someone could help us find a location. We haven’t got the land and haven’t got the big shed. Is there someone out there who has an existing visitor attraction, who could add it to that place and give it a new lease of life?

“We’re hoping that someone will come along, be it a government body, a council, or a trust who believes its important and wants to carry it on.”