The North East Film Archive is one of a network of regional film archives established to collect, preserve and show film made in, or about the North East of England. Our collections are non-fiction, and date from the early 1900s to the present day, providing a rich record of life in the region over the 20th century. Many of our films are available to watch, free of charge, on our website.
This film is part of Free
You are Here: Newcastle
A now vanished world of exotic monkeys at the Quayside and show booth boxers at the Hoppings in a magical portrait of Newcastle upon Tyne in the 50s.
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Overview
The Quayside Sunday market hosts a vibrant street theatre of pitchers and caged live animals in this intriguing portrait of Newcastle upon Tyne. By turns shabby and exotic, the city is at its most exuberant at the Town Moor Hoppings travelling fair. The burlesque charm of dancing showgirls in spangly costumes tempts the curiosity-seeking crowd to “Paris with the Lid Off” and there’s a fascinating glimpse at the spiel and spar of Ron Taylor’s legendary boxing booth.
Billed as Europe’s biggest, the Hoppings fair dates back to 1882 when the North of England Temperance Festival was introduced as an alcohol-free counter-attraction to the Race Week at Gosforth Park. The traditional sideshows were just as popular as the gaudily painted, high tech rides. Showman Ron Taylor’s Excelsior boxing tent was the last surviving fairground boxing booth and hosted some of the greats of the professional ring in its time. The greatest champion of all, Mohammed Ali, gave an exhibition performance at the Excelsior in 1977. By the time this film was shot wrestling (popular on TV) had been introduced to widen the booth’s appeal. Ron Taylor visited the Hoppings for the last time in 1995.
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