The Great Dorset Steam Fair at 50

Each August, The Great Dorset Steam Fair takes over the fields of Tarrant Hinton. Attracted by the largest collection of steam engines in the world, 200,000 people swarm amongst the exhibits; wellies on feet, hotdogs in hand.

The collapsed crops are faded by sun and mud, trampled by the public, rolled flat by tyres and steam rollers. In the shadow of fairground rides is an area cordoned off by an ellipse of metal barriers. Spectators perch on hay bales, cameras dangling from necks, waiting for the classic car parade. Strings of light bulbs struggle for attention in the daylight, high up on poles above the fences. Alongside the ring is a silver caravan which stands unnoticed until words begin to leave the speakers paired up on its roof.
“Good afternoon everyone, and welcome to the Great Dorset Steam Fair.”

A threshing machine continues to work, oblivious to the more modern display. Sun-hatted men stand confidently on top of the shaking wooden box, feeding straw in to the chute that begins the process of separating the grain from the chaff. A steam engine works hard to one side, the belt lazily wandering over the fast-paced flywheel. It rocks against its chocks, as eager to work now as it had been when new, when Hardy’s Tess of the D’Urbervilles took in this new technology for the first time in the Wessex countryside, over a century ago.

The phut-phut of the engine is out of time with the ABBA mega-mix exploding from a gold and red organ, adorned with angelic statuettes playing Dutch-made castanets. The exhaust of a proudly polished Austin A40 blows its heady petrol scent towards a cocktail of sausages and onion, coal smoke and dust.

“Now we move on to Number 13 in the programme, this lovely Morris Cowley 12/4 coupé, restored by the current owners and used again since 2005…” A man in a checked shirt stumbles into the crowd, drawn over to look at the car. His vision is tunnelled by multiple tankards of farm-house cider, served up in a green-canvas tent held fast by ropes that flaw its customers on the way out. He leans on the fence as the Morris purrs past, completing its lap to a wave of applause before parking up amongst the crowds of curious holiday makers, enthusiasts and eyes that light up as they exclaim in delight, “My Grandad had one of those!”

01 OCT 09

The summer may be over but the sun's still shining in Cardiff, *touch wood*, and therefore I haven't quite missed the boat for an update of the warmer months!

The Great Dorset Steam Fair, which takes place near Blandford each year, was just as busy and steamy as ever. An endless supply of engines, tractors, horses, cider, cars, fair rides and every variety of dog known to man made for an interesting week with the addition of 'Steam Sounds', the latest attempt to occupy trouble-makers in the evenings and provide the eccentric enthusiasts with some light entertainment. Of course, in reality, the enthusiasts were probably still up to their knees in coal throughout the night, but the rest of us witnessed some musical wonders including 'Winston the Singing Farmer'. Ingenious. Also playing (at every available opportunity) was my little brother 'Ant'.


I don't think it's possible to see everything in the five days but you can certainly start to tire of trudging around in the mud, and a highlight for me was taking time out to watch the falconry display.


But naturally, given that it bears the proud title of STEAM fair, the main attraction is the enormous number of steam engines that accumulate in the quiet fields of Dorset each September. I would be surprised to find anything quite like it anywhere else in the world; 200,000 visitors took the steam pilgrimmage to the 41st event. Agricultural machinery, Showmans' engines and the heavy haulage engines all draw large audiences, but my personal favourites will always be the beautiful machines that power the old fairground rides...