Hundreds of travellers arrive with their horses as Wickham Horse Fair begins in quiet Hampshire village
Hundreds of travellers have arrived in a quiet Hampshire village with their horses for an annual horse fair which dates back 800 years.
The community has descended on the sleepy village of Wickham, which has a population of just over 2,000 people, once more in a tradition that has lasted for generations.
Dozens of horses are lined up in the streets ready for trading and selling on a day which is an opportunity for the travelling community to meet up with family and friends.
It began when Roger De Syres obtained a royal charter from King Henry III to have a weekly market in Wickham's town square in the 13th century, and is now held every year on May 20, unless that date falls on a Sunday.
It brings the small village to a standstill as roads, shops and pubs all close for the day to allow the fair to take place.
Horse boxes, caravans and animals all arrive along with their owners, alongside fun fairs, food vans and various stalls.
Dozens of the animals are typically tied up to local fences and outside closed pubs ready for trading.
Some small piles of litter were pictured in the village early on Monday.
Dozens of horses are lined up in the streets ready for trading and selling on a day which is an opportunity for the travelling community to meet up with family and friends
Road closures are in place throughout the village, including Fareham Road and The Square. They are expected to reopen by 10am on Wednesday.
During the day, horses and ponies are seen pulling carts up and down the village streets, with adults and children alike joining in the fun.
The fair is so popular that for the last week surrounding villages have played host to travellers looking to attend the fair, who had already arrived and set up make shift camps on public land.
At least 21 caravans arrived at Greta Park in Hedge End, around six miles from where the historic event will take place.
A council worker alleged that four padlocks were broken in order for the group to gain access to the park area.
Police swiftly moved them on but more have arrived in the surrounding area since.
When MailOnline visited the sleepy idyll earlier this week the central square was a hub of activity ahead of the two day shut down.
Traditionally the local butchers has been one of the only shops to remain open, serving hot snacks to the thronging crowds, however even they say they will close this year.
Manager Ben said: 'We're not opening this year no. We just don't have the staff and it isn't really worth the effort. We would if we could, there hasn't been trouble for years.'
Traditionally, the launch of the event is met with a number of horses being raced down the streets of Wickham while others are paraded through the town, including small ponies.
Sadly, in the past some of the horses at the event have had to be put down.
There will also be police officers on the ground to engage with visitors and respond to any issues which may arise.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Sunderland Newcastle derby 'can boost football tourism'
The return of the Tyne-Wear derby to next season's Premier League fixture list should be used in efforts to attract more tourists to north-east England, political leaders have season will be the first time since 2016 that both Newcastle and Sunderland have been together in the top flight and there is a hope to capitalise on tourism surrounding English East Combined Authority (NECA) has agreed that the investment agency Newcastle Gateshead Initiative would now promote the whole of Tyne and Wear, Northumberland and County City Council leader Michael Mordey told a NECA meeting football could "really drive forward" footfall in the region. Newcastle City Council leader Karen Kilgour added: "It demonstrates just how strong our region is… the sport we have from cricket, to football, to hosting rugby, the Women's World Cup."Our cultural offer is second to none." Recent estimates suggest 68.4 million people came to the region in 2024, slightly down from 69 million the year before, according to the Local Democracy Reporting tourism is claimed to be worth over £6.6bn a year to the North East, it has the lowest number of both domestic and international visitors of anywhere in England, so politicians hope to double the number of tourist trips over the next East Mayor Kim McGuinness told council leaders and other senior figures on Tuesday that the region had not been "good enough in shouting about and marketing ourselves to the rest of the world".She reiterated calls for new powers that would allow her to impose a tourism levy, and her ambition to bring the Olympic Games to the north of England. Follow BBC Sunderland on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Tuchel's England is meant to be fun – but this is a joy-free zone
There were a few comments from England players as they arrived at the opulent XLR Executive Jet Centre in Birmingham. With an unbranded private plane waiting to take them to the Spanish Grand Prix, the gist of the remarks was that this was an early start. Who exactly relishes an early-morning flight anyway? At XLR, they pride themselves on being the ultimate in private, luxury travel, where 'every detail, request, and preference is meticulously anticipated in advance'. But it is still a journey at the crack of dawn. Other footballers were flying away with their families after a gruelling Premier League campaign but there was one final end-of-season camp for Thomas Tuchel's players. They were dressed in civvies – Kyle Walker in an eye-catching tank top – as they headed to Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, before the start of warm-weather training. Declan Rice and Ezri Konsa were allowed to skip the Formula One as they were attending Jarrod Bowen's wedding, but the rest of the squad took selfies with pit crews and posed with shirts. Bukayo Saka seemingly did not get the memo about the unwritten grid-walk rule about giving interviews to Martin Brundle, but all-in-all it was described as 'good team-bonding' by one player. As much as players enjoyed the F1, this was still Tuchel's first taste of keeping the squad engaged during the summertime away from home. It has always been an issue for an England manager, never more apparent than during the Fabio Capello days when players were bored and isolated in their hotel rooms. Gareth Southgate set up a basketball court and chipping green at St George's Park during Euro 2020, then last summer there were padel courts at their base in Blankenhain, Germany. This was only a mini-break – and at the end of a long season – but it was worrying to hear that Tuchel saw no joy on the faces of his squad when they crossed the white line and played with the Three Lions on their chest during this international break. He will have to find a way to make it fun to go away with England. Of course, winning matches with conviction will help. His message when he first met the squad was that he wanted to put another star on the England shirt – the eternal legacy of a World Cup triumph. This meant every match counted, even if a qualifier was against lowly Andorra. Or a friendly against Senegal some 10 months after the season started. The German coach even counted up the sessions he would have before next year's tournament: 24 training days in total. There were six international breaks before the end of next season, and, with two already down, it has been a baptism of fire: jeered off after two worrying performances, questions over players' attitudes and confusing selection calls. Changes to the Southgate set-up It was always going to be a different dynamic to the previous era. Reporting on Gareth Southgate's team over eight years, it became apparent there was a bigger picture to winning football matches and reaching tournament finals. Over time, players matured and the culture of the squad changed. By coming with the sole aim of winning the World Cup, Tuchel's reign will only be defined by whether he is lifting the trophy in New Jersey next July. There have been changes from the Southgate era in the past two camps, even if they are small. There is an 'optional' squad breakfast between 9am and 11am, later in the morning in a move away from the strict timings under previous managers. Southgate used to start training sessions in the morning, which offered players an opportunity to sleep at some point in the afternoon. Under Tuchel, training starts in the afternoon. It is part of Tuchel's plan to build a 'brotherhood' spirit among his squad. The coach also embraced each player when they arrived in the lobby of their St George's Park base back in March when they met up for the first time. There have been new voices on the training pitches, with the accent of French-born Nicolas Mayer heard during sessions. Anthony Barry, a Liverpudlian, also takes drills. For the warm-weather training at the Camiral Golf and Wellness resort, in Girona, players strapped heart-rate monitors on their chests and applied sun cream before being put through their paces. The team selection for the two matches pointed to where players stood in the pecking order. Jordan Henderson, 35 next week, was given his first start since November 2023 and Tuchel wants him in the squad as he raises the standards of his team-mates. Tuchel also wanted to use an inverted right-back to move into midfield against an Andorra team not interested in attacking. Rather than Trent Alexander-Arnold who played there all season for Liverpool, Tuchel picked Curtis Jones, who started there three times in the title-winning team. Ivan Toney was said to have trained well all camp and there was a degree of surprise from some team-mates that he only got the final three minutes plus stoppage-time against Senegal, when England were chasing the game and on the brink of a first defeat by an African nation. There were theories that Tuchel called up Toney to look at him in person, rather than watching him in the Saudi Pro League in a lower standard of football. But taking off Harry Kane for the final half an hour and leaving Toney on the bench hinted at what Tuchel thinks of the Al-Ahli striker. At the final whistle there were jeers and the odd call of 'Tuchel out' as fans headed to the exits. One of Tuchel's messages to players is the importance of body language. He wants them to high-five like basketball players in the NBA, so the way players look like the enjoyment has been zapped out of them was the biggest concern. Contrast that to the Senegalese players signing and dancing in their dressing room, with manager Pape Thiaw banging on tables like he was beating a drum. It was like they had won the World Cup, which feels a long way from where England are.
The Sun
2 hours ago
- The Sun
Kyle Walker sent clear message over Man City future as he's snubbed from Club World Cup squad along with Jack Grealish
PEP GUARDIOLA has left England pair Jack Grealish and Kyle Walker out of his 27-man squad for the Club World Cup. The Manchester City boss and his players will board a flight to their training camp in Miami tomorrow to begin preparations. 8 8 8 But as expected Grealish and Walker will not be part of it – and will stay at home to focus on finding new clubs. It is a case of out with the old and in with the new for the City boss. Guardiola showed he is looking to the future with all of the eight players he has signed in 2025 – at a combined cost of more than £275 million – included. But two of his stalwarts who played a key role in their historic almost two years ago to the day are in the cold. Record signing Grealish – who turns 30 in September – was axed from the squad for the final day victory at Fulham last month. Everton and Newcastle are both monitoring the former Aston Villa captain's situation with a view to ending his Etihad misery. Meanwhile there is no way back for club captain Walker who stunned Guardiola by asking for a move in January. City were having the worst spell of Pep's nine years in charge when the veteran full-back asked if he could explore other opportunities. 8 A loan move to Milan began well but ended in disappointment with the Italian giants deciding not to make the move permanent. He has one year left on his contract and will have to return for pre-season training later this summer unless another switch can be fixed up. 8 Guardiola has also decided not to re-integrate another former Three Lions man – Kalvin Phillips – who spent last season on loan at Ipswich. Meanwhile, James McAtee is also absent having chosen to play for England Under 21s instead. However his four January signings – Omar Marmoush, Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusanov and Vitor Reis – are all included. And the same goes for the quartet of players who have arrived this week – Rayan Ait Nouri, Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders and keeper Marcus Bettinelli. Guardiola's squad will do some warm weather training in Florida before travelling to Philadelphia for the first game in their defence of the trophy. They face Moroccan side Wydad AC before tackling Al Ain and Juventus in their other group fixtures. Dutch midfielder Reijnders became the latest signing to be unveiled by City today – moving from Milan for an intial £46.5 million. He was voted the best midfielder in Italian football last season but admitted he needed to test himself in the Prem. Reijnders – who has signed a five year deal – said: 'It was a big honour - especially because we had a difficult season. 'To still be crowned the best midfielder of the season, I was very happy with that prize.' 'But everybody knows this is the biggest competition in the world. If you saw last season how many clubs were fighting for the top places - the level is incredibly high. 8 8 'It's a boy's dream to play in the Premier League. I want to feel the intensity and energy of playing in the Premier League.' City also look to have beaten off rivals Arsenal and Villa in the race for the signature of Norwegian starlet Sverre Nypan. The Etihad club insisted they were not interested in the Rosenborg midfielder, 18, earlier this year but they have now made their move. An £11 million deal is being finalised but the plan would be to send him out on loan next season – possibly to sister club Girona. Walker's Club World Cup snub comes as Thomas Tuchel warned his England stars they MUST play regularly at the start of this season. And the Three Lions boss called on right-back Walker to sort out his future. Tuchel has his finger crossed Trent Alexander-Arnold, who barely played in this latest camp, can hit the ground running at Real Madrid after leaving Liverpool. The German coach said: 'For sure, I hope everyone will be settled at their clubs. "That everyone gets his place back at any club where they play. I just said it to the players. 'At the moment, you see a lack of rhythm in Kyle because he did not play the last matches, not many minutes for AC Milan. "And after his broken elbow, he lost his rhythm and that's what you felt in this camp.' 8
