Dick Price Collection

The images are of lorries, rides, shows and personalities at various fairs, mainly Cheshire, Merseyside and Wales fairs. Largely identified and dated. Also included in the collection are 40 VHS videos which consist of an eclectic range of fairground and transport themed visual material from a variety of steam rallies and fairs up and down the country, from Folkestone to Ross-on-Wye. The majority feature archive footage filmed in the 1990s by Dave Homer, a renowned enthusiast with a thriving commercial video market.

Dick Price was a keen enthusiast who grew up with fairs around Merseyside and the large fair at his home town of Neston. His early photographs included 1970s trips around Cheshire fairs, rallies and coastal amusement parks such as Rhyl, Southport and Morecambe. Dick was very meticulous with his visits and photography, searching out some of the smaller operators and photographing small beachfront amusements throughout North and West Wales.

Dick was close friends with Frank and Paul Anyon and took regular trips around London fairs and to the Nottingham Goose - he was noted for always leaving on the Saturday mid-afternoon to fulfil his other love - drumming in a dance band.

His collection provides the Archive with a thorough history of all aspects of fairs, rallies and parks throughout the 70s, 80s and 90s. The collection included many photographs reflecting Dick's interest in Ghost Trains, Funhouses and the new school of fairground art that emerged with these attractions, and also the audio visual material. Dick also worked hard at maintaining accurate machine histories, and his research into and photographs of Dodgem tracks has enabled us to work towards a concise history of this very popular and prolific machine.

Dick Price was always active within the Fairground Association of Great Britain, and their magazine, The Fairground Mercury, printed his article on the history of the Lancashire Collins (and their visits to Neston) shortly following Dick's death. Entitled 'Swan-song', it appears in volume 23, number 3 (December 2000).

Items listed according to type

The Photographs make up part of the image database collection which is available to view in the NFA reading room. Contact NFA regarding other items. If you wish to view any of the videos, equipment needs to be booked prior to visit. Please contact the NFA.

Donated by his wife, Alison Price and daughter, Alva Price.

List of video available in the NFA reading room

Description compiled by Jane Donaldson