Ambience and atmosphere
The Fairground Heritage Centre Museum offers a versatile venue for period photo shoots and filming.

We offer a fully undercover year-round night-and-day facility featuring a range of vintage fairground equipment and artefacts. Available items range from fully working vintage rides and showground steam engines to carved artwork, painted showfronts, Victorian fairground organs and period caravans.

Our collection is world class and incorporates the very best examples of fairground art from the late 19th century, through to the 1960s.

Contact
Tel: 07860 214105
Email: guybelshaw@aol.com

Exclusive hire to production companies
Complete undercover fairground location
Period settings and backdrops
Perfect for filming and photo-shoots
Contact Guy Belshaw: 07860 214105 - guybelshaw@aol.com

Genuine Fairground Victoriana
Edwardian ambience
Scenes from a Country Fair
Classic British Retro from the 1950s and 1960s
A fully working Dodgem ride with classic cars
Giant Motorcycle Speedway Ride (roundabout)from the 1930s
Early 20th Century Switchback Ride
Genuine Showman's Steam Engines
Carved Horse/Cockerel Roundabout Mounts (static)
Period Showman's Living Vans
A Penny-slot Arcade
Original Hall of Mirrors
Coconut Shy and other throwing games
Antique Sideshow Banners
Surreal Fairground Art
Wall of Death Showfront
Genuine Fairground Organs
Vintage Fairground Lorries

Support services
There is ample power on site and the building can be heated to 18/20 degrees on request and pre-heated for the start of your working day. We also provide private heated changing facilities on site.

We have technical staff on hand to move any static displays and assist with electrical requirements and lighting. You can be assured of personal, friendly and efficient service for the duration of your stay.

We know your time is valuable and a member of our management team will be in the building at all times, to ensure there are no delays for logistical or other reasons.

Our larger rides, the Dodgem and Super Chariot Racer Ark, can be run by a qualified operator at slow speeds or full. There is sound-to-light running lights and an adequate PA system for each ride. The Rodeo Switchback is undergoing mechanical work, but we hope to have it fully operational in the near future. This grand looking machine revolves at a leisurely pace. The Supersonic Skid is currently a static display, but makes a great backdrop. The vintage children's roundabout can also be operated.

Fairground games such as the Coconut Shy, Penny Arcade and Plate Smasher can all be operated on request.

Other specific fairground rides can be hired in if enough notice is given (one month), although these may not be vintage examples.

Catering
We offer full catering facilities in our waitress service restaurant. Our food is freshly prepared to order. A varied menu is available, including vegetarian options. A hot drinks service is available all day in the main fairground gallery.

Accommodation
Accommodation locally ranges from the plushest of Country House Hotels, to modestly priced comfortable B&B's.

Less than a mile away is the award winning Pub and Restaurant, the Harris Arms. In the village of Lifton there is a wide range of accommodation. Branded chain accommodation such as Travel Lodge is available at two locations, both less than 10 miles away.

Historical background
We can also offer expert historical advice on the fairground, circus and allied subjects if you are attempting to recreate a specific period look.

Stop Press
The Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre at Lifton near Okehampton was used as the backdrop for film clips that will be used to introduce the contenders for this years NME Music Awards, being staged at London's O2 Arena.

The Arctic Monkeys Kaiser Chiefs ,Babyshambles, the Cribs, Klaxons and Muse are among those nominated. The awards take place at the Big Gig event, on 28th February and are due to be screened the following night on freeview channel, E4.

Bristol based production company Hello Charlie produced the film, which was shot at the Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre on February 1st 2008. Director Tom Hodgkinson was in search of some quirky images and the Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre houses some of the most unusual artefacts imaginable.

A spokesman for Hello Charlie said, "The range of surreal images is amazing, absolutely unique. We had great fun filming there."

Contact
Guy Belshaw: 07860 214105
guybelshaw@aol.com

Images on this page: Fashion, courtesy of Jason Moore (for New Look). Filming, courtesy of Hello Charlie (for NME Awards).
Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre... experience a step back in time
Copyright 2008 - The Fairground Heritage Trust - all rights reserved.