Scarborough Fair Collection

The Scarborough Fair Collection is a museum in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, devoted to fairground organs and showman’s engines. It stands among Europe’s largest collections of its kind. The founder, Graham Atkinson, began gathering pieces in the late 1980s before opening the museum formally in 2008. Atkinson started as a farmer and later ran a nearby holiday park, where visitors first saw parts of the collection. His aim was to share his love of fairgrounds with others. The museum’s three main sections are steam engines, fairground rides and mechanical organs. Steam engines include four showman’s engines such as The Iron Maiden, a Foden steam wagon and a Barrows and Co. portable engine. Fairground rides range from an 1893 gallopers ride and a 1928 rare caterpillar ride to a 1933 Noah’s Ark, waltzers, a cake walk and dodgem cars. Mechanical organs feature a 97-key Gavioli Concert organ and a 101-key Hooghuys Condor dance organ. Open days and weekly Wednesday afternoon tea dances let visitors hear two theatre organs, both Mighty Wurlitzers with three manuals and eight ranks of pipes. One organ comes from the Granada Theatre in Greenford and the other from the Granada Theatre in Mansfield. Each offers a distinct set of stops, including English Horn, Tuba, Saxophone, Clarinet and Vox Humana. The setting allows visitors to walk among vintage cars, miniature vehicles and model railways while listening to music from the past.