18/11/2025
All Change at Petworth Fair
At the very heart of the soul of the town the historic Petworth Fair has been held annually since at least 1189 and in all likelihood a good deal earlier. Not, as usually suggested a charter fair, it was considered immemorial by 1276 and is thought to be one of the oldest prescriptive fairs in the country, and even an act of parliament would not be able to stop it going ahead. At first glance, little seems to have changed during the eight centuries that the fair has been held though we no longer see horses being sold or cheap jacks and quack doctors plying their trade.
Over the centuries the fair has been held at various locations around the town, first at the Fair Field in Grove Lane, later at Hampers Green, and more recently in The Market Square. So it is that with ever increasing pressure from health and safety regulations and the difficulty of organising such an event in a severely restricted space, it has been decided that with the backing of the Benson fair family and in collaboration with the Petworth Primary School Association the fair will begin yet another chapter in its long history by moving to the primary school at South Grove. Not only will there be the traditional fairground rides but inside the school building there will be lots of stalls offering seasonal fun and celebrations as well as the traditional Petworth Fair Santa Claus.
Lord Egremont, the long-time supporter of the fair, will with the help of the Town Crier open the fair at 2pm on Saturday 22nd November. It is hoped that a whole new generation of children will experience the excitement of the fair which without this change of venue was certainly in danger of being lost.
Hopefully, the weather will be kind on the fairgoers for an ancient legend tells us that whatever the weather at Petworth Fair it will be repeated on Christmas Day.
