Every year, St Giles, a wide road in Oxford city centre, becomes a fairground for two days. Scores of local people enjoy the thrilling rides, games of skill, and booths offering food and drink.

St Giles Fair has happened every September for centuries, only pausing for a few years during World War Two. First documented in 1625, it began as a local parish feast, probably in the 12th century. It became a pleasure fair and a “great annual holiday for the working people of Oxfordshire” in the 1800s. The Fair remains a hugely popular event today, a uniquely local way to mark the seasons.

The fair wouldn’t exist without those who bring it to town: highly skilled artists, performers, and ride operators. Many of them belong to the little-known, distinct community of showmen and women: a traveling people united by trade, culture and a way of life.

This photographic exhibition puts the spotlight on the people behind St Giles Fair, bringing together photos and videos from the Oxfordshire History Centre, the National Fairground and Circus Archive at the Sheffield University Library, and private collections, as well as specially commissioned photographs and oral histories.

The accompanying events programme can be found on the museum's website: www.museumofoxford.org.