Barnet Fair has witnessed the reigns of twenty-five monarchs, survived civil wars and industrial revolutions, and evolved from England's largest cattle market into a beloved carnival. The fair traces its origins to 1588, when Queen Elizabeth I granted a charter to the Lord of the Manor of Barnet to hold a fair twice yearly.
The Elizabethan Charter
The 1588 charter established Barnet Fair as a twice-yearly event held originally in June and October. This royal grant came during the same year that the Spanish Armada threatened England, yet the charter's significance for Barnet would outlast the political turmoil of the age. The fair supplemented the weekly Barnet Market, which itself operated under an even older charter; King John had granted rights for a market at Barnet on 23 August 1199 to the Abbot of St Albans.
The Lord of the Manor later altered the fair's timing. Lord John Tomlinson moved the dates to April and September in 1758, judging this arrangement better for business. The April fair ceased entirely in 1881, leaving the September event as the sole survivor.
The Great North Road Advantage
Barnet's position on the Great North Road, the main highway between London and Scotland from medieval times until the twentieth century, proved decisive to the fair's success. Chipping Barnet served as a common resting point on this route between the City of London and the northern cities of York and Edinburgh.
During the coaching era, Barnet Hill formed a major obstacle. One hundred and fifty stagecoaches passed through Barnet daily at the height of the coaching period, and the steep climb up Barnet Hill, which stands 427 feet above sea level, forced travellers to rest their horses. This natural pause in journeys brought custom to the town and its market.
By the late Tudor period, Barnet's market controlled the sale of nearly all of London's meat. Butchers from the capital would travel up on Mondays to purchase cattle, which were then fattened locally before being walked into London as required. By 1834, The Times reported that Barnet Fair had become England's largest cattle market, with up to 40,000 animals on display. In the 1880s, accounts suggested that 40,000 cows changed hands at the fair, with cattle driven principally from Scotland.
From Livestock to Pleasure
The fair's character began shifting during the eighteenth century. Horse racing formed part of the festivities, drawing spectators from across the region. In 1787, the Prince of Wales attended the races, one of thousands who gathered for the event. The same year saw the Jewish boxer Mendoza defeat Martins, the Bath Butcher, in the boxing ring at the fair.
These sporting events took place on a field where High Barnet tube station now stands. The arrival of the railway fundamentally altered the fair's trajectory. When the station opened in 1872, it occupied the land previously used for racing, and horse racing ceased in 1870. The railway brought visitors but reduced the need for horses as transport, and by the 1920s, the decline in horse transport had diminished the fair's importance as a livestock market.
The market itself moved several times. Originally located where Wood Street divides from the High Street, it shifted to New Road in 1851, then to a site near the Green Man inn in 1869. The last cattle auction took place in August 1959, after which the market assumed a more general character.
The Modern Fair
Today's Barnet Fair operates under its original royal charter near Mays Lane. The event takes place over three days beginning on the first Monday in September. The focus has shifted entirely from livestock to pleasure; funfair rides have replaced cattle pens, though the fair retains its historic name and charter rights.
The fair has left its mark on English language and culture. "Barnet Fair" became Cockney rhyming slang for "hair," shortened simply to "barnet" in common usage. The folk-rock band Steeleye Span recorded a song titled "Barnet Fair." In 1896, the filmmaker Birt Acres produced Barnet Horse Fair, the first moving picture record of the event; he made five further films of the fair in 1897.
During the Second World War, the fair continued. A Hackney ARP warden's diary entry from Saturday 5 September 1942 notes: "When I arrived at Barnet, about 50 donkeys were being driven along the High Street to the cries of 'Oh! Oh!' and holding up the traffic... I believe they were going to the Barnet Fair."
