Next to Buckingham Palace Twickenham Rugby Stadium is just about the most famous venue you could use for a postcard and paper fair in this country - and it was hardly a surprise therefore when the fairs that we launched there in February 1992 were an immediate hit with both dealers and public alike!
Our first event was held in the Rose Room of the South Stand (now demolished) and this attracted 813 people, who immediately took to the velvet curtains, plush carpets and elegant catering, which included hot meals! The fair also quickly became a byword, not only for the selection of postcards and cigarette cards on offer, but also for the quality and variety of other paper collectables on sale. (A reputation it still has to this day!)
In due course, and as our fair expanded, we moved into other rooms at the stadium, firstly the North Tryline Room at the northern end of the ground (Nov 1994), and then the Spirit of Rugby (Oct 2001), an elegant upstairs room in the West Stand, which boasted a fantastic view of the pitch from the restaurant above!
Initially we ran 3 fairs a year at the Rugby Ground but after a while we settled down to a pattern of March & November shows - and this lasted until 1998, when we launched an additional event in January. (Our winter event proving an immediate hit with the public).
Faced with increased hiring costs however, we reduced our Twickenham fairs to an annual event (Jan 2003 onwards) and in the face of major rebuilding works, eventually decamped across the road to the Harlequins Stoop Stadium, where we staged our 35th Twickenham fair in January 2007. Much though we loved Twickenham Rugby Stadium however, we were absolutely bowled over by the reaction of the public to our new venue, and they came up to us in waves to say how much they liked it!... And with three car parks (all free of charge), space for over 100 stalls, an elegant raised area for catering, plenty of natural light - and plenty of space to move around - we hope to be there for many years to come!
27,000 MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC HAVE VISITED OUR TWICKENHAM FAIRS SO FAR! WHY NOT VISIT US THERE AT OUR NEXT TWICKENHAM SHOW IN JANUARY 2008? |
