Barts Fair reframed - virtually
The June/July 2022 edition of the EC1 Echo carries two articles about the idea of relaunching Bartholomew Fair. These have sparked interest, and some questions. Here’s further development of the ideas for combining an on-the-ground and virtual Fair.
In summary: Barts900 celebrations in 2023 provide an opportunity to appreciate and support not only the hospital and church, but also the wider range of cultural activities in the area, and it's history. Re-launching a new version of Bartholomew Fair could both support the City’s Culture Mile and help develop a wider Creative Cultural Commons.
The Fair began on St Bartholomew’s Day in 1133 as a cloth market to help finance the Priory of St Bartholomew, and hospital. Both celebrate their 900th anniversary next year. Over the centuries the market expanded beyond Cloth Fair and Smithfield to cover four parishes, offering raucous festivities for a fortnight at its height in the 17th century. It was suppressed by the City authorities in 1855 for encouraging debauchery and public disorder. More in Wikipedia.
In the 21st century both Barts Hospital, and St Bartholomew the Great, need funding to restore their historic fabric, and support new projects for the community.
Should a new Bartholomew Fair be re-staged for the 900th celebrations and beyond, to combine fun with fundraising?
The idea has caught people’s imagination - but has also raised some questions. What would it be like? Would residents welcome stalls, side-shows, puppets and jugglers? How long should a Fair last and what might it cost to organise? Does it require professional production, or could it be more like a village fete? Is it worth investing the effort when there are so many other challenges?
We can start to answer these questions positively if we re-frame the idea of what a fairground is like in the 21st century.
We already have the elements of a Fair running most days of the year in the theatres, studios, concert halls, museums, galleries, cinemas, pubs and nightclubs around the original fairground, an area the City of London has branded Culture Mile.
The newly opened Elizabeth Line, together with Thameslink, makes it physically the most accessible place in London.
Over Farringdon East station is the London HQ of TikTok, whose video-sharing platform has over a billion monthly users. That’s a new virtual world stage, for anyone.
The problem isn’t the lack of a Fair - it’s that not enough people know about the Fair that we already have. Nor, perhaps, do they know enough about the fascinating history of Farringdon, Smithfield and nearby Clerkenwell, and what there is to explore in the streets of EC1.
Each of the organisations in the Culture Mile produces its own marketing material, and manages its own social media channels. There’s so much going on that it is difficult to track and keep up.
In order to develop a new all-year Barts Fair we need better directions on the ground, one place online with a calendar of events and other information, links to live streaming to enjoy shows at home, and also ways to connect with people with like interests. Fairs are social.
The good news is that during the pandemic we have become more skilled at both producing and enjoying shows online. We can both see great shows in our home, and also host our own online gatherings for friends and family.
The Culture Mile team and other major organisations are already collaborating in promoting events and programmes, and support for community projects. More could be done. By focusing on the challenge of creating an integrated platform for the Barts Fair of today we could help everyone develop a wider shared vision for what’s needed, join up what we have, and add to Barts 900.
There would, of course, also be great advantages in a real-world Barts Fair event - or series of events that bring together organisations, businesses, freelance creatives, artists and community groups.
These events might be open days at historic venues, walks and talks, and other jointly organised activities - with highlights on or near St Bartholomew’s Day, August 24th. Barts Hospital hosted a Fair in the Square as part of its 800th celebrations in 1923. Could it host an event in 2023, allied to the Barts 900 celebration.
I managed to track down some Pathe newsreel.
I also found an archive of the St Bartholomew’s Hospital Journal for July 1923 which has very full account of the Fair, as well as the church service, Lord Mayor’s luncheon, Guildhall ceremony, and Tableux.
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In Memoirs of Bartholomew Fair, Henry Morley, writing in 1859, calls the Fair “as truly as the House of Commons, part of the representation of the people” because major events like the Armada, Gunpowder Plot, or alleged religious conspiracies were reflected each year in pamphlets and performances. The Fair provided a platform for both ideas and entertainment.
These days Commons has a wide interpretation as “ the cultural and natural resources accessible to all members of a society.” The term Creative Commons is used for copyright licences encouraging sharing and collaboration.
We might aim to make the area around the original fairground not just a Culture Mile but also a Creative Cultural Commons, with an online platform that can be enjoyed or used by anyone, anywhere, and a commitment to collaborate. That way we can have an all-year virtual Bartholomew Fair that will help promote the Culture Mile and City.
How to get started
- Summarise more fully the history of Bartholomew Fair, with other linked references to support this first idea of Barts Fair Reframed. Set up a blog and web pages.
- List and map the organisations, places and activities along and near Culture Mile, so we know more about the assets that we have. Is a common events calendar possible - maybe a City version of the excellent https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/?
- Ask organisations what they are planning for 2022/23, and explore with them whether Barts Fair could help them do more and connect with others. Invite those interested to a walk and get together - maybe on or near August 24.
- Develop the idea of what it might mean to be part of a Creative Commons. Is it a useful term? Redraft these ideas in the light of the initial research, and follow up the opportunities that emerge.