GALLERY: Crowds ‘hoof’ it to Horncastle as Horse Fair makes grand return

Bomber the Shire horse with his owners Eve Miller and Jon Davison at the screening of War Horse.

Horncastle was hot to trot this weekend – and not just because the sun finally came out, but one of the town’s most historic events made its grand return.

This summer marks the 75th anniversary of the last Horncastle Horse Fair, and Horncastle History & Heritage Society (HHHS) brought the event back to town with a whole herd of events, exhibitions, workshops, a guided walk, a film screening and more, with the ‘mane’ event on Saturday (August 12) in Horncastle town centre.

The Horse Fair Trail had 40 specially community designed and decorated wooden horses displayed in Horncastle shop front windows throughout the school summer holidays, including the Joseph Banks Centre, Fletcher & Hughes, Vet on the Corner, Flange & Prong, and more.

Joe Richardson, a West End actor and puppeteer from the international tour of the National Theatre’s ‘War Horse’, hosted a free screening of War Horse at Stanhope Hall on Wednesday (August 9), attended by Bomber the shire horse and his owners (read all about Bomber in our special feature here).

Emily Raithby-Veall, 6, having a go at ImageSkool's mural.

The main celebration event saw 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.

During the evening, a specially commissioned short creative film and light installation by artist William Lindley was shown on a loop in the Lion Theatre, a montage of historical horse fair images inside St Mary’s Church, and a horse puppet walked the street, accompanied by workshop participants, and the celebrations were capped off with a firework display by Horncastle Lions on The Wong.

HHHS’s Dr Ian Marshman said that more than 300 people took part in craft activities at the Community Centre throughout the week, and that 264 people visited the Horse Fair exhibition at Joseph Banks Centre on Saturday.

He said: "What a fantastic day for Horncastle! We couldn’t have asked for anything more, with lots of happy visitors both locals and tourists, plus sunshine and hardly a drop of rain.

Alford Morris dancers with their Morris horse.

“I want to thank all the artists, still holders, and volunteers who made it happen. It was a huge team effort.

“It also wouldn’t have happened without Spilsby Sessions House and Different Light Collective who helped organise the event and secured UKSPF funding, as well as the support and enthusiasm of the teams at both ELDC and Town Council.

“The great news is that the Horse Fair Celebration will be back in 2024. We hope it will become a regular summer festival for Horncastle, celebrating its heritage, local culture, and nature.

“We’d love to hear from anyone with ideas for what they would like to see next year.”

The new horse puppet at St Mary's church.

Plans are now in place to bring the event back to Horncastle next year, with a focus on being an arts festival inspired by the town’s history and heritage, and DR Marshman said the committee are keen to hear people’s thoughts and ideas for what the event should entail.

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.

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.

Read our feature on the history of Horncastle Horse Fair here.