Pack Monday Fair has been held in the Dorset town of Sherborne every October for at least 300 years. But in the age of internet shopping does tradition guarantee a future?
The pilot episode of The Sherborne Podcast reports on one of the town's longest traditions. Pack Monday Fair has been held on the first Monday after Old Michaelmas Day for centuries. It is heralded at midnight by townsfolk roaming the slumbering streets crashing bin lids and blowing horns.
The fair is said to have gained its name in 1490 when the craftsmen building the fan vaulted nave of Sherborne Abbey completed their work, packed away their tools, and spent a day at the fair celebrating their achievement.
Written accounts of the fair date from the late 18th century and tell of an agricultural market where livestock is traded, vegetables and fruits are sold, and villagers from the surrounding area travel to Sherborne to buy drapery, hats and bonnets, and enjoy fairground entertainments lining the streets.
Nowadays, the town's main streets are lined with food carts and stalls selling a wide variety of goods, toys, clothing and fresh produce.
In 2018 Brent Mitchell's Events Crew company was awarded a five-year contract to revamp Pack Monday Fair to ensure it remains relevant and viable into the future. As a Sherborne man, Brent understands the place the fair occupies in the town.
The Sherborne Podcast is a Red Mic Production for Brookmoor Media.
You can contact the producers of The Sherborne Podcast via brookmoormedia@btinternet.com