A struggling vintage fairground is putting items from its iconic steamfair up for auction after continued financial pressures.

Last year, Carters Steamfair made the decision to cease travelling, with the fair later being put on the market.

With the future still uncertain for Carters Steamfair and a buyer not yet in sight, owner Joby Carter has made the decision to begin selling items from the fair.

Items to be put on auction include rare vintage vehicles and traditional fairground artwork.

Set to take place this weekend, an auction will be held at Carters Steam Fair's headquarters in White Waltham, Maidenhead 

It will mark the first part of a final farewell to the steamfair.

Visitors for the auction will be able to access the main fairground storage yards where restoration takes place for the fairground rides and vintage vehicles that Carters Steam Fair is famous for. 

At the Open Day there will also be an opportunity to buy the remaining items of fairground merchandise which were left over from their final tour in 2022 as well as location posters and banners used to advertise the fair.

For the first and only time, Carters Steam Fair branded uniform will be available to purchase.

The auction is free to enter all weekend, with 347 lots available to view including fairground art, vintage signs, dodgem cars, galloper horses, generators, rare vintage vehicles including two Scammell lorries, various spare parts and other fairground-related equipment and spare parts. 

The auction will take place at 10am on Sunday July, 9 with doors opening at 8am.

Anyone wishing to bid at the auction must be registered as a buyer. This can be done online by 4pm on Saturday, July 8 or in person before 9am on Sunday, July 9. 

Fairground owner Joby Carter said: "Even though the fair has not been on the road, we have been finishing various vintage lorries and wagons which people will be able to see when they visit."

Unique pieces such as old dodgem cars that have not been used since 2014, a 1944 Scammell lorry and a fully restored 1966 County tractor will be at the auction.

"It's nice to sell this stuff to people that will use it and cherish it. I always say that we are only mere custodians of this stuff and now it’s time to pass these cherished items to new people," added Joby. 

"Every single item has a story to tell as to why it’s on this planet."

The main collection of rides and attractions belonging to Carters Steam Fair will not be in this auction and will remain in storage to ensure that the rides and vintage vehicles are in optimum condition.

Joby Carter has said that if a solution isn't found for the future of the fair within the next month then he will plan a final auction of the fair which risks individual rides being bought by private collectors and the magic of a vintage fairground experience being lost to the public.

In May 2023, the Heritage Crafts Association listed fairground art as endangered on the Red List of Endangered Crafts, and noted that the breaking up of our steam fair would be a significant loss both to the craft and to the cultural heritage of the UK. 

A local superfan, Gary Rivers, has begun a petition to keep the fairground items together

Gary said: "It’s not just a ‘product’ that you can commoditize or see somewhere else, there is really nothing else quite like it.

"With a bit of imagination and the right investor, there’s potential to make something fantastic out of this, such as a living museum to teach people about energy and engineering."