I took a lot of pictures at Wraysbury Fair - not least because it's been such an achievement to make it there again.
It matters to me because I've been going all my life and because it's a real part of the village.
There's also a legal significance; years ago there was a huge fight between unscrupulous developers who wanted to build on the Village Green and The Memorial Ground and concerned villagers who wanted these green spaces preserved for villagers to use forever.
What won the court case was they could prove that there had been village fairs on the green going back for hundreds of years....and now it's common land for everyone to enjoy.
The theme was the Magna Carta so there were a lot of costumes on the parade;
Lots of fine ladies;
And some pious monks;
There were floats;
Which meant that all the children were involved;
And I do mean all the children;
And here's the king (Boo!) and the vicar;
Even if the weather wasn't perfect and we had a lot of competition from Egham's Magna Carta day and Medieval Jousting in Staines, we had a really big crowd.
If there was one sad thing it was the Morris Dancers from Datchet who persist in dancing with blackened faces.
Whatever historical justification there may be for this I've got news for you; it causes offence in 2015 and it's time you faced up to that and stopped doing it.
There were lots of animals and vintage cars and even the craft tent but I'll post about them tomorrow.
It was a magical afternoon.
Neil Harris
(a don't stop till you drop production)
Contact me: neilwithpromisestokeep@gmail.com
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