Carters famous Royal Berkshire Steam Fair comes to various sites in the county as well as Surrey for seven months each year.
The steam fair is a collection of vintage fairground attractions and rides, started by John Carter in 1977.
Although John sadly passed away in 2000, his family is still building the collection which has featured in many films, on television and in advertising campaigns.
Now in its 33rd season, the fair is still run today by members of the Carter family, who lovingly restore all the equipment.
The oldest ride in the fair's collection is the Steam Gallopers which dates from 1895. The ride was added to the collection in 1976, and has been restored to its former glory by the family.
John Carter renamed the ride in 1977 as "The Queen's Silver Jubilee Steam Gallopers". This was to celebrate the Queen's Jubilee year and also marked the return of the ride to steam power after 25 years.
The Chair-O-Planes are thought to date from the 1920s. They too have been restored and now feature chains once used aboard the Royal Yacht Brittannia.
The swingboats were built in the early 1920s by Thomas of Chertsey, and were a novelty at the time as they had new plate jointed legs, rather than the traditional 'nutcracker' arrangements.
The Steam Yachts and engine were discovered in a scrap yard in Glasgow in 1975. The yachts were built in 1921 but the engine "Yorky" is older, dating from 1901. Although not the ride's original steam engine, it is the same model and type.
The Dean organ on the ride was commissioned by the Carter family in 1984. All the rides that were originally powered by steam, still are, with the others now driven by an electricity generator. The ride is transported by two WW2 Eagle trailers!
The Lighthouse Slip is an old-fashioned Helter Skelter owned by Mike & Kerrie Rule. The tall spiral slide offers a good view of the fair from the top.
The Victory Dive Bomber was built in around 1958. It has been painstakingly restored and was decorated by Joby Carter while Anna Carter painted the scenic artwork that adorns it.
In 2005, a local borough council asked Carters to drop the word "freak" from one of its sideshow attractions. The company, which said the term has historical roots, changed it for the duration of their stay in the town.
In 2009, Guiseppe Della Camera, who travels with Carters Steam Fair selling ices from his restored 1954 Morris J-type ice cream van, was offered £100,000 for it by Sir Mick Jagger. He turned down the offer as he couldn't bear to part with it!
The fair's base is at White Waltham, near Maidenhead and is used for painting and restoration, which are an ongoing part of managing the vintage equipment.
More information can be found at www.carterssteamfair.co.uk.
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