Today our focus is on the life of a Showman.

A trip to the fair should be an enjoyable experience but it also has its dangers for the reckless or the unwary. Over the years Plymouth has seen a number of injuries and accidental deaths.

One of the problems that circus owners experienced with having live animals in the acts was that the animals were unpredictable and things didn't always go to plan.

The next poster for our Fairs and Circuses Exhibition features Big Wheels, Dodgems and Ghost Trains

The type of acts that one might see at a circus has changed over the years. In this country, we now appreciate that keeping wild animals in cages and forcing them to perform is unacceptable. So when you were born and how old you were when you first visited a circus will influence what images come to mind when you hear the word "circus".

Something that was very popular in its day but you won't find at today's fairground - the boxing booth!

For many years the vehicles that were used to transport the fair from one location to another were steam powered traction engines. These engines were also used to drive some of the fairground rides.

Here we see some early examples of fairground art.

Some more examples of fairground art

Our next poster takes a look at the history of the circus

The theme for our next poster is music and moving pictures.

Our final two posters for this exhibition feature some of the showman families. Today we feature the Hancock family and Anderton & Rowland.

Our final poster of the Fairs & Circuses exhibition shines the spotlight on some more showmen families.

While our Fairs & Circuses exhibition is running I will post copies of the posters every other day so that those of you who do not live in Plymouth, or are unable to come in to the Visitor Centre, will still have an opportunity to view the exhibition. Today our focus is on Swings and Roundabouts.

A distinctive feature of the British Fairground are the small round stalls offering prizes for various games, as the stall holders encourage visitors to the fairground to "try your luck".