A young boy sit on a Shetland pony at Priddy Sheep Fair. The fair is a highlight in the Gypsy community calendar. DAVID MANSELL


Somerset's Priddy Sheep Fair is one of the West of England's oldest traditional fairs, set in the open rolling country side of the Mendip Hills in the village of Priddy since 1348, when it was moved out of Wells due to the dangers of people getting infected in the city by the Black Death. Amazingly the fair has been held every year since 1348, apart from the recent 2001 and 2007 foot-and-mouth epidemic years. Thousands of people come to this ancient annual one day event, where the local agricultural community of sheep farmers and the Romany horse dealers can carry out their business of buying and selling their animals. Visitors to Priddy Fair are able to observer the real world of farmers and the gypsy community at first hand. A young boy sit on a black and white Shetland pony at Priddy Sheep Fair. The fair is a highlight in the Gypsy community calendar. DAVID MANSELL


Size: 3744px × 5616px
Location: Priddy Sheep Fair, Priddy Village, Near Wells, Somerset, England, UK.
Photo credit: © David Mansell / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: agricultural, air, aircountryside, attending, bme, caravans, childhood, children, community, countryside, custom, customs, day, educated, education, ethnic, event, fair, fairs, farming, field, fresh, green, gypsies, gypsy, holiday, holidays, home, horse, horses, interest, life, minorities, minority, open, places, ponies, pony, romanies, romany, rural, school, shetland, site, summer, tourism, tourists, tradition, traditional, trailer, traveller, travellers, uk, village, visitors