Stourbridge Fair
The common has a fascinating history and used to be the site of the largest fair in medieval Europe, a bustling centre for shopping, eating and revelry, offering temptations of every kind. It was first held in 1211 and was held for the final time in 1933 after its popularity began to decline in the late eighteenth century. In recent years it has been revived and held in the grounds of the Leper Chapel on Newmarket Road.
Authors Samuel Pepys, Daniel Defoe and Edward Ward wrote of their experiences visiting the fair, and it was the inspiration for John Bunyan to include Vanity Fair in Pilgrim's Progress, which in turn was used by William Makepeace Thackeray for his most celebrated novel Vanity Fair.
Daniel Defoe wrote in 1724:
“Scarce any trades are omitted – goldsmiths, toyshops, brasiers, turners, milliners, haberdashers, hatters, mercers, drapers, pewterers, china-warehouses, and in a word all trades that can be named in London; with coffee-houses, taverns, brandy-shops, and eating houses, innumerable, and all in tents, and booths…"
Isaac Newton also visited the fair in 1665 and bought a copy of Euclid’s Elements which he used to teach himself mathematics. He is also reputed to have bought a pair of prisms at the fair which he used to demonstrate that white light can be split in to the colours of the spectrum.
Today all that remains is just a scattering of street names in the area: Garlic row, Mercers Row and Oyster Row are tastes of the huge range of produce bought and sold at this momentous annual event.
Adapted from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stourbridge_fair
http://www.cam.ac.uk/research/features/trade-trickery-and-temptation-the-800-year-old-story-of-stourbridge-fair/
The geocache
The cache itself is big enough to hold a pencil and logbook but unfortunately nothing else. Tweezers may be useful.
In wet weather the common can get very muddy, especially when the cows are in residence, so walking boots or wellies are recommended. If the cows are around, then please be respectful of them: they are used to pedestrians and cyclists passing by but do not usually appreciate being stroked.
Congratulations to Tonythetiger412 on a FTF within 15 minutes of being published!