Full details of Horncastle Horse Fair celebrations revealed

​This summer will mark the 75 th anniversary of the last Horncastle Horse Fair, and to mark the occasion, a number of events and plans are set to take place over the coming months.

Just some of the plans, organised by Horncastle History & Heritage Society, include an exhibition, free workshops, a guided walk, a film screening and more, and will culminate in a main event on Saturday August 12, in Horncastle town centre.

In the early 19th century Horncastle’ s Horse Fair was reputedly the largest horse fair in the country, possibly the world, and was held every year from at least 1229 around the Feast of St Lawrence on August 10, bringing visitors from around the world.

The Fair was at its peak in the mid-1800s and ran for about two weeks, with show day falling on the Sunday with large numbers of the public toured the inn yards, and on the evening, the Wesleyan Methodists organised an open air service in the Bull Ring with speakers, soloists, and a harmonium on a horse dray.

But the invention of railways and then motor cars saw it decline over the years as the need for horses decreased, and the last fair was held in 1948.

And now 2023 will see the fair set to make a comeback to mark the 75th anniversary of the last horse fair.

While there won’t be any real horses this year, organisers and artists will be creating all sorts of horse fair inspired activities and goings on, to celebrate the town’s heritage in a way which is fun, interesting, engaging and even a bit silly too!

The town’s Horse Fair Trail is already starting to appear around town, with 40 specially community designed and

decorated wooden horses in Horncastle shop front windows being visible throughout the school summer holidays.

Joe Richardson, a West End actor and puppeteer who was one of the puppeteers in the

international tour of the National Theatre’s ‘War Horse’, grew up in Horncastle, will introduce a free filmscreening of War Horse at Stanhope Hall on August 9.

Joe and will also be working with local artists and performers to bring some new puppets to life, especially for the evening event on Saturday August 12.

There will be exhibition about the original Horse Fair at the Joseph Banks Centre running from July to September, where visitors can take part by making horse hats and flags in free drop in workshops at Horncastle Community Centre from August 7 to 12, from 10am to 4pm.

During the fair itself, the main celebration event will see games and activities around the town, including ‘Horsing Around’ with Rhubarb Theatre, making a new portable horse mural with graffiti artists lmageskool , a mini vintage carousel, music, Morris Dancers and more

Then during the evening from 7pm to 9pm the event will continue with a specially commissioned short creative film and light installation by artist William Lindley shown on a loop in the Lion Theatre, a montage of historical horse fair images on a loop inside St Mary’s Church, and a horse puppet that you can meet on the street, accompanied by workshop participants with their horse hats and flags who will set off from the Community Centre.

Horncastle Lions have also organised a firework display that will take place near the football pitch at 9pm.

Dr Ian Marshman of the Horncastle History & Heritage Society said: “The Horse Fair was part of Horncastle’s history every August for centuries, and really put the town on the map.

"With the 75th anniversary of the final Horse Fair this year we wanted to do something to celebrate all that history. We hope all the events planned will give people a reason to visit Horncastle this summer.”

The Horse Fair celebrations have been made possible with funding from the Government’s UK Shared Prosperity Fund and are part of a two-year programme being delivered by Spilsby Sessions House, who have secured the funding to support a range of creative projects in East Lindsey.

Spilsby Sessions House is working with Different Light, a Lincolnshire collective of artists, producers and technicians, to deliver the Horse Fair project, together with key partners Horncastle History & Heritage Society, Horncastle Town

Council and local volunteers. Some additional funding has also come from East Lindsey District Council’s Vital & Viable Market Towns programme.

Bruce Knight, Arts Director at Spilsby Sessions House, said: “We are really pleased to be able to support the wider East Lindsey community and particularly Horncastle Heritage & History Society who have been the driving force behind the Horse Fair project.

"This year’s celebrations are an exciting beginning, that will bring together both the community and the talents of local artists to mark this very special anniversary. We already know that we will be able to deliver something similar next year.

"Our hope is that ultimately, the Horncastle Horse Fair will become an annual summer event for the town, attracting visitors from near and far, just as the original event once did.”

The Full Horse Fair Celebration Timetable

EXHIBITION

6 July to 30 September

• Horncastle Horse Fair exhibition at the Joseph Banks Centre

SHOP WINDOW TRAIL

22 July to 3 September

• Community made Horncastle Horse Fair Window Trail in 40 shopfronts around the town

FREE WORKSHOPS

Saturday 5 August, 9am to 3pm

• Free drop-in graffiti session at Horncastle Market led by James from lmageskool

FREE WORKSHOPS

Monday 7 - Saturday 12 August, 10am to 4pm

• Lumo Workshop drop-in arts & crafts sessions every day in the Community Centre. Members of the public will be able to pop in for a few minutes (or a few hours) to make horse hats and flags, or just to chat to the artists and watch them making the bigger horse puppet.

Groups can be booked in too - just email [email protected]

FILM SCREENING

Wednesday 9 August, 7pm

• Warhorse free film screening at Stanhope Hall - introduced by Joe Richardson, a West End actor and puppeteer

GUIDED WALK

Thursday 10 August, 11am

• Horncastle Horse Fair Guided Walk. Meet at the Joseph Banks Centre. No need to book, just turn up

HORSE RACE FUNDRAISER

Friday 11 August

• Horse Race raising funds for the Friends of St Mary’s Church. 7pm for 7.30pm at the Community Centre.

HORSE FAIR TOWN CENTRE EVENT

Saturday 12 August

DAY 9am - 3pm, in the Market place

• All your market favourites plus extra craft stalls in the Market Place, with hands-on creative

activities for families, some with a horsey theme

• lmageskool create a new moveable Horse Fair mural+ drop-in and have a go

• Rhubarb Theatre & Horsing Around; with interactive games & street theatre

• Miniature vintage carousel

• Horncastle Art Group - open air sketching

• Alford Morris Dancers plus other live music too!

EVENING 7pm - 9pm, around town

• Community Centre at 7pm - meet at the community centre and bring your horse hats and flags made

during the week. The new horse puppet will then make an appearance and together we will horse

around town!

• Lion Theatre - Especially commissioned creative film by artist William Lindley being shown on a loop

inside the Lion Theatre with additional lighting and effects.

• St Mary’s Church - Montage of original Horse Fair images shown on a loop inside on a screen,

with a soundtrack and some additional images and illuminations.

• lmageskool community designed graffiti boards on display

HORNCASTLE LIONS FIREWORK DISPLAY

Saturday 12 August, 9pm

• Free fireworks at the Playing Fields at 9pm