Wellington Midsummer Fair steeped in history
Forget the grey day – there were plenty of smiles amid the colour of Wellington's Midsummer Fair.
People flocked to a day of family fun, steeped in history at the market town.
The Midsummer Fair took place around the Market Square and All Saints Church area of the town on Saturday.
The event is inspired by the June fairs first recorded in the Telford town's Market Charter of 1244 and the Wellington Jubilee festivities of the 1700s.
In its modern incarnation, the annual event is co-funded by Wellington Town Council and Wellington Market Company, and organised by Wellington H2A and the church. Hadley Orpheus Choir, Wellington Brass Band and Odd Socks Folk Band provided musical entertainment throughout the day around the church, along with acts including medieval minstrel Wyndebagge, Dothill School Choir and indie band The Evacs.
Down in Market Square, the Shrewsbury Mummers and Jack the Jester drew the crowds from 11am onwards, followed by New Orleans-inspired street music from Mr Wilson's Second Liners.
The church lawns became an open-air tearoom and artisan market, with over forty stalls offering a range of treats and crafts from a farmer's hog roast and ice cream to ceramics and hand-turned wooden goods.
A costumed Jubilee procession also made its way through the town from 1pm – recreating a procession first recorded at the Wellington Jubilee pageant of 1773, it featured many of the original characters including classical gods and goddesses, townspeople of the period, and King George III himself.
After the procession, there was also be a chance for children to have a go at bell-ringing in the church tower.
