They were sent in by fairground enthusiast Paul Tandy, who is hoping readers can help him research the history of the event.

He writes: “Warwick Mop Fair is arguably the town’s oldest tradition, dating back to the reign of King Edward III as a hiring fair. Times have changed since the 1300s and now the event brings all the latest fairground attractions to the town. Back in the 1920s the mop also had rides brought by the ancestors of today’s showmen. The layout has not changed much in all the years, as the showmen own the pitches their rides stand on and transfer them down through the family.

“At the time this photograph was taken in the 1920s residents would have looked in awe at the electric lightbulbs illuminating the fair, as their own homes would still have been lit by gas.

“Showmen were among the first to use electric lighting in any quantity, with perhaps a dozen huge arc lights on each ride, quite a sight in their time.

“The vintage style motor cars on one of the rides are also interesting. Cars were a rare sight at the time and a ride in one at the fair was as close as some families would get for many years.

“Steam traction engines powered the rides and transported them from town to town, although in Warwick the rides remained set up between the two fair weekends until more recent years.

“The traction engine, pictured in 1935 near where the antique centre now stands, would have been hard at work generating power for the ride. The dynamo on the front was driven by a simple belt from the engine’s flywheel.

“The sound of the steam giants towing mop loads would be familiar to many a former pupil of Westgate School, able to hear the sound of the engines rumbling up the hill but unable to see out of the high Victorian school windows. At that time the children who lived with the fair attended the school for the two weeks their families were present. Even today some still have fond memories of this time.

“Over the years the showmen have adapted to modern trends and bought newer rides, using new technology and more efficient generators, but at its roots the fair is the same today as it was in the 1920s. It still allows families to come out and do something different for a weekend, it still has the traditional opening with the town officials in their coats and robes and it is still fun for residents of all ages. It also manages to hold its own against television, games consoles and the internet.

“Little did the shopkeepers who complained about the smoke from the new-fangled traction engines realise that a century on the event would still be attracting thousands.”

Anyone interested in helping Mr Tandy can email

keepthemop@hotmail.com

or contact the newsdesk on 457720.