Cockermouth Georgian Fair

Georgian Fairs

Sadly the organisers of the Cockermouth Georgian Fairs have currently no plans for future events, but attempts may be made to revive the events in the near future. In a statement David Cornwall, Chair of the Organising Group, said, "We have enjoyed the excellent events that we have delivered since 2005, all organised by a small team of dedicated volunteers, and we now feel that we have taken the event as far as we can. Perhaps other people, with interests in other aspects of Cockermouth's history, might now come forward with new ideas to organise a new and different event. The Georgian Fair organisers would be pleased to advise and support."

The Georgian Fair Organising Group's Annual General Meeting in September will be the last and the Organising Group will be disbanded.

Cockermouth is a Georgian Gem town in the north west of England on the northernmost edge of the Lake District National Park. Sited on the confluence of the rivers Cocker and Derwent, it has history reaching back through the Norman invasion to the Romans and a Market Charter dating from the 13th century. However, it was during the Georgian period that the town grew into an important centre for trading and manufacturing as a result of the wool and weaving trades.
Contacts:
Chairman: David Cornwall Tel.01900 826637 davidcornwall@nasuwt.net .
Vice Chair: Bridget Hilton Tel. 821150 david&bridget.hilton@btinternet.com
Secretary Jan Dickins Tel. 0169733 21375
Treasurer: Sue Hannah suehannah@limelighting.co.uk Tel. 01900 822480

Modern Cockermouth has many aspects that refer back to its historical roots. The castle overshadows the confluence of the river. But its Georgian heritage is its main claim to fame as the birthplace of William Wordsworth, John Dalton, Fearon Fallows, John Walker and Fletcher Christian, names redolent of the age. It was during this period that the town took on the flavour that exists to this day. Walk its streets and you see town houses and cottages in the Regency style, seek out its wents (alleyways) and find the remains of weaver's workshops, sit by its flowing rivers and hark back to the time that seeded Wordsworth's poetry. The town has a wide main street and a market place at the centre of modern trading and social life. At one end of the main street is Wordsworth's childhood home, an impressive National Trust property. You can follow a town trail to gain a full understanding of the town and enjoy modern facilities available for the tourist, as cafes, restaurants, hotels and pubs provide the pleasant town with entertainment, food and drink. There are numerous galleries for those wanting to view and buy artworks. There are craft, curio and antique shops for ratching, a local word whose meaning is only too obvious if you think of what you are likely to do in these establishments. All the while the life of the town continues. It was for many of these reasons that in 2005 a group decided to set up a Georgian Fair and open the town and its history for inspection and enjoyment. A special market was held on the main street and a day of enjoyable pleasures was laid on. Local people joined in with a will and were encouraged to dress like a Georgian. There were sedan chair races on the Memorial Gardens beside the river and old style fairground attractions. Wordsworth's Birthday party was held in his former home as the date chosen for the fair coincided. On the streets there was entertainment of various sorts. Belfagan, the local women's morris dancers, appeared in Georgian dresses, hurdy-gurdy music was heard, fiddlers plied their instruments and bagpipes skirled. Jugglers and tumblers threw and dived, street entertainers sawed the air, words were spoken in rhyme, couplet and quatrain. In 2009 Cockermouth was in the news for the catastrophic flooding of its Main Street and surrounding areas. The 2010 fair took place against a backdrop of half renewed shops and homes, but it proved the spirit of the people. In 2014 we had to postpone the fair as the Main Street was once again out of commission, this time to effect major repairs to the drainage that had been badly damaged in 2009, and again the traders lost a year of income. The Georgian Fair Organising Group have been at pains to remind everyone the fair will return and here it is in all its glory with additional features. There are Regency-style and Morris dancers of many traditions, and the town's children participate round a revamped maypole. The U3A Early Music Group entertain and the local comprehensive school pupil's choirs and soloists provide songs of the era. Many of the townsfolk now dress up for the day as we have run workshops for dressmaking and costume. So, once again we say, �Come for the day; stay for the week-end.� Cockermouth is a great place to live and work, and we are always pleased to see visitors.

2015 Sedan Chair race entry form

Contacts:
Chairman: David Cornwall Tel.01900 826637 davidcornwall@nasuwt.net .
Vice Chair: Bridget Hilton Tel. 821150 david&bridget.hilton@btinternet.com
Secretary Jan Dickins Tel. 0169733 21375
Treasurer: Sue Hannah suehannah@limelighting.co.uk Tel. 01900 822480

Photos of Cockermouth's Georgian Fairs.