Fun at the Hampstead Heath fairs

Fairs have been held on Hampstead Heath since the mid-1800s. On the August bank holidays and religious days like Whit Mondays, Londoners would escape the city smog to play games, eat snacks, dance and have fun.

The fairs were pretty rowdy in the early days. But by the early 1900s, the bank holiday parties became more family-oriented affairs. In this photo, children ride the carousel at the 1952 funfair. The seats take the form of horses, which move up and down as if the horse was galloping.

Here, Grant snaps someone getting the giant wheel ready for the Whit Monday funfair in 1957. Thousands of Londoners would attend these fairs each year. In the post-war years, the big wheel, dodgems, swings and helter-skelter were among the most popular attractions.

Helter-skelter slides, as seen on the left of this photograph, were particularly popular in Britain. Thrill-seekers climbed the tower and slid down sitting on a hessian mat. The main structure to the right is a spinning swing ride. The photo was taken using a long exposure, so the swings are barely visible and the lights look like solid strips.

By the 1950s, eating candyfloss at the funfairs had become a tradition. This fluffy ball of spun sugar, which melts into nothing in your mouth, is still a staple funfair treat.

Grant captures people enjoying a ‘penny glide’ arcade game at the August bank holiday fair, 1968.

Funfair workers take a break by some of the vans. This job was more of a lifestyle for those who worked at the funfair. They’d spend their time travelling around the country, setting up fairs in green spaces.

This caravan belonged to workers from the travelling funfair held in 1955. The fairground workers would have set up the rides and managed them while the fair was open. They’d then dismantle everything and clear up afterwards, leaving the Heath as they’d found it and moving on to set up the fair in another town.