Basingstoke Carnival Week and how it began - Flashback

IN A few days time it will be July, and most people will be looking forward to their summer holidays. But, for many local folk, there will always be something missing – the annual Basingstoke Carnival Week.

Although the long series of carnivals ended in 1994, after 38 years, local people have long memories. For the older residents of the town, they can reflect on three carnivals that took place before the Second World War.

It was back in 1934 that the Basingstoke hospital committee considered increasing local hospital facilities as the Cottage Hospital in Hackwood Road was running out of space for the increasing population in the town.

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The Saturday children’s carnival procession reaches the War Memorial Park (Image: Contributed) It had been built in 1879 when Basingstoke had 6,000 residents, but by 1931 the town had a population of 14,000 and future plans meant an even greater population in the area. In the year ending December 31, 1936, the hospital dealt with 572 inpatients and 662 outpatients. The hospital committee therefore acquired a house and seven acres of land at Meadowcroft in Cliddesden Road for £1,900 with the intention of building a new and much larger hospital on the site.

Consultation on how much money was needed for this project was finalised at the sum of £40,000. A “New Hospital Building Scheme” was launched with Sir Charles Chute of Vyne House, Sherborne St John, as chairman, and Mr Herbert Higgs of Fairfields Road as honorary organiser for both the scheme and the appeal funds.

The appeal was launched in March 1937 with a variety of ways to get the public to give money for the scheme. The main item on the agenda was the idea to hold a four-day carnival in the town, so The Hants and Berks Gazette advertised for young ladies to be selected as a carnival queen and attendants, which resulted in Miss Yvonne La Gogue of Bramley being chosen, while her maids of honour were Patricia Wolveridge, Eileen Moody, Marjorie Lee and Pansy Hall. A schoolgirl queen was also selected, a 14-yearold Dorothy Phillips.

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The outpatients department in Southern Road, built in 1955 (Image: Contributed) It was decided to hold the carnival from July 21 to July 24, the first event being on a Wednesday when a farmer’s gift auction took place at the cattle market.

In the evening, a Grand Carnival Revue and Vaudeville Show was held in a special 100 feet long marquee in the War Memorial Park. The park was used for many other functions and events in the following days.

During the week that the carnival was taking place, roadside collectors were stopping car drivers passing through the town for money to help the funds. These “raiders”, as they were called by the motorist, also sold “immunity badges” to be put on the cars, priced two shillings and sixpence (now 12½p) to avoid paying again!

Meanwhile, a loudspeaker van toured the town with light music and announcements about the forthcoming events at the carnival.

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Carnival queen, Miss La Gogue (Image: Contributed) On Thursday, July 22, a dramatisation of the granting of the Charter of Incorporation to the Borough of Basingstoke by King James I in 1622 was arranged and produced by Miss Nancy Noyes on a special dais built in the Market Place.

Watched by a large crowd of spectators the “actors” were mainly businesspeople from the town, including Mr T C Chesterfield, Mr H Goodall, and Mr C Jeffreys. The scenery was designed by Major V A Simmons and built by Mussellwhite and son.

This production was followed by the crowning of the carnival queen, Miss La Gogue, by the Mayor, Cllr W H Mussellwhite.

Afterwards, the whole assembly proceeded to the Memorial Park annexe to open the fun fair and various amusements.

On Thursday evening, a long and colourful carnival procession moved off from Eastrop Lane and wound its way through the town centre to the park annexe where prizes were awarded for the best tableaus and individual costumes.

On the first day of the carnival activities, Saturday, July 24, a children’s carnival procession took place, assembling at Fairfields School, then proceeding to the park arena. Among the various sideshows that day was a caged-bird and fish exhibition, then at the end of the evening a spectacular firework display was provided by C T Brock and Co of Crystal Palace.

Two more carnivals were held in 1938 and 1939, but the outbreak of the Second World War brought an end to the gathering of funds for the hospital.

The amount raised from the three carnivals and other funds realised some £23,000, which was put towards building a casualty department in Southern Road in 1955 for the hospital.

The plans to develop the site in Cliddesden Road were abandoned, but by then the 1952 Town Development Act had already listed Basingstoke for expansion to accept the overspill population from the London area, and new hospital facilities were granted.