Spinning round and round got faster and more exciting as new forms of power were harnessed.
In England, rides at the fair were already well established in the 18th century. In Russia they appeared on the fair about 1800 and in Italy around the 1850s. A blessing for the evolution of the merry-go-rounds was the introduction, in the 19th century, of the steam engine and new construction materials such as iron and steel. The first time fairgoers could buy a ticket for a steam-driven ride was in Bolton, in 1861. Later (1865-1888) steam-powered rides were developed by Frederick Savage of King’s Lynn. In the Netherlands they were introduced at the Wormerveer fair in 1900. The last one in the Netherlands was owned by Laurens Janvier from Bergen op Zoom. Sadly it burnt down in 1955. In Germany they were rare because many German operators went from horsepower directly to diesel in the first half of the 20th century.
An engine built by the famous British constructors, Savages. Here it is powering P Cole’s Gondolas in 1960. The steam engine was truly at the heart of the rides.
Here we see a Burrell Steam Engine number 3896. It was also called the Earl Beatty and was powering Percy Coles Gondola’s in 1941 in Somerset.
The great heyday of the showman’s engine was the end of the 19th century. However steam engines were produced for several decades afterwards and some showmen were still using steam engines well after the introduction of diesel power. In the later 20th century steam engines were no longer used commercially on travelling fairs. However societies have grown up dedicated to restoring and protecting the remaining engines. It is possible to attend steam fairs in the UK and see showmen’s engines in working order. There are also steam fairs where the rides are still powered by steam.
An early steam-machine: Savage’s Switchback Centre Engine, circa 1890.
J.W. Janvier from Bergen op Zoom built this beautiful steam-carousel.
An Italian steam-carousel at the Faenza fair, early 20th century.
Brochure of Josef Hübner’s carousel-factory in Neustad, showing his ‘Dampfspringpferde-Karussel’. Models of this attraction were 35.000 up to 72.000 Mark in those days, without steam-machine!
Ferris wheel under construction.
Friedrich Heyn owned Germany’s greatest and most important carousel-horses-factory. From Neustadt he exported to all continents.
Heyn’s ‘Karussellpferde’ were at fairs anywhere.
One of the attractions Fritz Bothmann built was a submarine-carousel.
Fritz Bothmann’s carousel-factory was in Gotha.
Fairgoers in the UK can enjoy an exciting ride on this steam-carousel; Mrs. E. Ayers Savage’s Gallopers at Hull Fair in 1994. This ride is over a century old and still travelled by the original family.
World Famed Poultry. Early photograph of Savage’s of King’s Lynn, Fairground Manufacturer’s early Cockerel Ride photographed in 1890.