Avoncroft Museum of Historic Buildings, Stoke Heath, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, B60 4JR
Tel: 01527 831363 / 831886
Blog: Revealing the Hidden Stories of the Showmen Community Project, by Steven Hearn, Collections & Interpretation Manager
Discovering a Hidden Gem
Shortly after being appointed as Collections and Interpretation Manager at Avoncroft in early 2022, I was taken on a site tour by the Director, Zoe Willems. As part of our walkaround, I was led into a non-descript building to be shown a collection of bricks. (As you can likely appreciate, my expectations were low!) However, upon entering, I was immediately presented with a beautiful, ornate Showman’s living wagon, complete with detailed etched glass, rich mahogany furnishings, and hand-painted ceilings; I was captivated.
The wagon was built in 1910 by George Orton— a renowned coachbuilder— for a Redditch-based Showman named Tom Clarke. It served as both a family home and a business office for Tom and his family as they travelled through the Midlands with their rides and attractions.
A Catalyst for Change
Following this initial encounter, I began to form the view that the wagon was underutilised. Inadvertently hidden away, stored amongst unrelated collections, including a large firefighter’s curricle, in an otherwise void and static space with limited and dated interpretation.
I wanted to discover more about the broader context in which it sat: the history, traditions, and way of life of a unique community: Showpeople. A community, as I would go on to discover, that has made a significant contribution to the cultural landscape of this country but one that is underrepresented, misunderstood, and frequently the victim of discrimination and prejudice.
It became clear to me that the wagon offered us an opportunity to tell a broader, more impactful story about the Showmen community and to raise awareness, understanding, and appreciation for this marginalised demographic.
Building A Case for Support
With the support of volunteers, I began to survey visitors and capture their views on a number of areas, including on the wagon and the building it is housed, the existing interpretation, their understanding of Showmen and fairgrounds, and what they would like to see introduced as part of a future interpretation project. These surveys helped to reaffirm my views, inform the project proposal, and strengthen our subsequent funding bid.
Forming New Connections
I also began to undertake preliminary research, reaching out to organisations such as the National Fairground and Circus Archive and the Fairground Heritage Trust, making new, invaluable connections. As well as related individuals, including fairground historian Graham Downie, who was previously part of the Council of Management at Avoncroft and influential in the decision to acquire the wagon, and members of Tom Clarke’s family, including Norma Wilson—Tom Clarke’s niece—who grew up in the wagon on the family’s yard in Redditch.
It was clear that there was a significant interest amongst visitors in the wagon and a desire to discover more about Showpeople, so I began to identify funders before applying for the Association of Independent Museums, New Stories New Audiences Grant, successfully obtaining the maximum Grant of £15k.
Partnering with the Showmen Community
Through our connection with the National Fairground and Circus Archive, I met Sheldon Chadwick: A 7th generation Showman, founder and chair of the Showmen’s Mental Health Awareness Charity, and PhD student on the subject of Showmen identity.
Sheldon was subsequently commissioned as a ‘Cultural Broker’ between the Museum and the community. As a member of the community, Sheldon played a very important role, particularly as many travelling communities have experienced discrimination and prejudice and are, therefore, naturally cautious and wary of outsiders. Sheldon also supported with undertaking oral histories, developing and chairing focus group meetings, and content development, ensuring the community were actively engaged in the process and able to share their stories and experiences.
Showcasing a Heritage Craft at Risk & Creating An Authentic Fairground-Themed Experience
The surveys we had undertaken had reaffirmed a number of issues, including that the building was poorly signposted, so as part of our plan to address this, we commissioned a fairground artist- Amy Goodwin- to produce a 10ft x 5ft hand-painted sign for the exterior of the building, inspired by the colourways and design of the wagon.
Fairground art is an endangered craft, with only 10 commercial fairground artists remaining in the UK, so it was very rewarding to be able to commission one of these artists to work with us. In addition to the sign, Amy also produced eight bespoke hand painted background designs that we would subsequently use for the interpretation panels to try to create an authentic fairground-themed experience. As well as the titles for each of these.
Preserving Hidden Treasures: Ensuring Continued Public Access to Historic Fairground Objects
Through our connections with the Fairground Heritage Trust, we were also able to acquire a set of historic swing boats that originally belonged to Tom Clarke that were at risk of disposal.
As well as securing a loan of 38 historic fairground signs, ensuring they could continue to remain on display to the public following Dingles’ closure in late 2024.
In addition to acquiring new items for the exhibition, we also sought to integrate existing related and hidden collections, including a large fairground model built by two brothers- Jon and Ken Tarleton- from Redditch. The various rides and attractions pictured are made from everyday, recycled household items, including cardboard packaging and tin cans. They depict rides from the 1880s to the 1960s, many which were seen by the brothers whilst visiting fairs throughout the Midlands.
The model was donated to Avoncroft in the early 1990s with the intention of displaying it alongside the Showman’s wagon. Unfortunately, it went into storage where it suffered deterioration. Through my connection with Graham Downie, I was introduced to professional fairground model maker and restorer, Doug Roseaman who we commissioned to restore it. The National Fairground and Circus Archive also kindly agreed to provide high-resolution photographs of their archival material free of charge, which would be used to create an AV of Midlands fairs through time.
Capturing the Personal Stories of the Community
Another significant aspect of the project during the development phase was engaging with the community. Sheldon and I undertook 25 interviews with Showmen, capturing their personal stories, as well as other connected parties, including Simon Harris who originally restored the wagon.
We subsequently segmented these interviews and decided on the eight themes we would incorporate into the oral history section of the exhibition. In order to decide on the five new themes for the interpretation panels, we also formed a focus group consisting of ten members of the Showmen community, brought together by Sheldon, ensuring the community were active partners and shaped the narrative.
Transforming the Space: Creating a Multi-Sensory Fairground-Themed Exhibition
The final stage was bringing these elements together to transform the previous dated and underwhelming space into a multi-sensory fairground-themed exhibition that tells the story of Showpeople, Amy Goodwin’s sign, inspired by Tom Clarke’s wagon, was installed on the exterior of the building along with a speaker, which enabled us to play fairground organ music, serving to raise awareness of the building and the wagon, raise expectations, and to create a logical visitor journey.
Inclusive Interpretation
As visitors enter the space, they encounter historic fairground signage as well as decorative timbers from Tom Clarke’s swing boats that have been incorporated into the display.
A concealed scent dispenser has also been installed, which emits the smell of candy floss, serving to create a sensory experience and evoke the feeling of a traditional fairground.
The new Showman’s wagon panel also mirrors the colourway and design of the wagon, with the title- ‘A Palace on Wheels’ – inspired by the comments of one of Tom Clarke’s descendants during an oral history interview.
Although the text for all of the panels is restricted to 150 words, additional content can be accessed via the integrated QR codes that can be found on all of the new panels. The QR codes also enable people with visual impairments to access an audio version of the text making the content more inclusive.
In addition to the new panel for the Wagon, we also introduced five additional main interpretation panels focused on Showmen which cover five themes:
Hands-on Interactives for Families
As well as new interpretation panels, we also installed interactive elements, including a push button model of Tom Clarke’s Switchback Motors ride, which was donated to the Museum during the project, and a Children’s highstriker and a buzz wire.
Another standout feature of the exhibition is the oral history section. The eight themes on displayed on the panel below, which include identity, community, and discrimination and prejudice, contain personal and powerful stories from 25 members of the Showmen community . The panels contain in-built speakers, and at the press of a pulsating button, one of these stories are played at random.
Many of the signs loaned from the Fairground Heritage Trust have been used to form a display wall of gag tags, which is particularly impactful, and an AV section displays a slideshow of archival images from both our collection and the National Fairground and Circus Archives’. One which displays many previously inaccessible images of Tom Clarke, his wagon, rides, and fairs, and the other on Midlands fairs through time.
And lastly, the restored fairground model is finally on display alongside the wagon, 35 years after it was donated for this purpose.
On a rather modest budget, working with the constraints of the existing building, we managed to transform the dated, tired and largely static space into a multi-sensory experience that incorporates first-hand accounts from the community, previously hidden collections and archival material, original artworks, hands-on, interactive elements, and even associated smells and sounds; all of which hopefully serve to tell the story of Showpeople in an engaging and accessible manner.
The exhibition provides a platform for an often overlooked community, enabling them to share their identity, heritage, and lived experiences on their own terms.
The new, layered approach adopted for this project will serve as a framework for our future approach to storytelling, with a commitment to delivering stories that engage with contemporary issues, that resonate with diverse audiences, and that deliver social impact.
