The Andover Heritage Trail tours were fully booked and Mr Heath from Heath’s Bank could be seen sharing his tales and bringing history alive throughout the town.
The popular market stalls offered everything from handcrafted macarons and marshmallows to unique handmade shilling pins and authentic Regency clothing.
The Time Ring drew a large crowd throughout the day, with performances from Andy Pomfrey, Sounds Easy, Court Rogue, The Bundell Brothers and local favourites, the Andover Museum Loft Singers.
Over 250 families enjoyed making crafty mementoes of the day with traditional shadow silhouettes from The Artroom and clay pots from Wildman Bushcraft.
Visitors were treated to The Admirable Admirals walkabout characters, who battled flying fish, each other and any unsuspecting passers-by with their water pistols and salty sea-dog ways.
Town Councillor Barbara Long said: ‘It was a real pleasure to launch the first ever Andover Shilling Fair, to see so many people enjoying the town’s heritage and entering into the historic spirit of the day. We were delighted to be able to increase dwell time for our retailers, showcase the town to visitors and promote Andover to stallholders who expressed a wish to return.
The event was managed by FUSE Projects Event Management and Cllr Barbara Long, with financial support from Test Valley Borough Council, Andover Town Council, Andover Leisure Centre and the Andover Town Centre Partnership.
Jenny Atherton from FUSE Projects said ‘It’s fantastic to have so many organisations working together on this exciting new event, showcasing everything Andover has to offer. We’d like to extend our thanks to all our supporters, sponsors and twenty amazing volunteers who ensured that the Fair was a memorable success.’
If you’d like to get involved with Andover Shilling Fair 2018, please email: barbara.long@andovertc.co.uk.