IT was a case of full steam ahead for Marlborough's charter anniversary celebrations at the weekend with Fairs Through The Ages in the High Street.

At one end of the scale was a Victorian gallopers ride that would have originally have been driven by steam.

At the other were the most modern fairground rides, some not previously seen in Marlborough.

Helping set the scene were a pair of steam traction engines and a couple of traditional fairground organs.

There was a disappointingly small turn-out for the official launch of the fair by mayor Graham Francis early on Friday evening.

But this was only to be expected because the official programme of the activities during the town's 800th anniversary celebrations was not available until Saturday.

The mayor, accompanied by two of his 15 town councillors, Nick Fogg and Michael Gray, paraded from the town hall to a reception at the Castle and Ball Hotel. Heading the small parade were the officers of dignity, town crier Alfie Johnson, town clerk Graham Gittins, and mace bearers Eric Gay and Tony Sansom.

The celebration fair believed to be the first time in the town history that a fair, other than the two annual Mop Fairs, had taken place in the High Street was officially launched from the steps of the 1894 gallopers.

The town crier called the proceedings to order and welcomed William Whitelegg and John Lock from the Showmen's Guild of Great Britain (Western section) and William Wilson from the fair.

Coun Francis said: "This occasion is significant in many ways.

"It must have been three years ago that we met for the very first time to organise this particular event."

Coun Francis said the fair at the weekend was not just another Mop fair. He said: "The idea was to recreate something of the early fairs.

"They were not like the modern fairs but were where employers went to engage workers and people went to seek jobs and also to buy things."

Coun Francis said it had been intended to hold a reconstruction of one of the original hiring fairs but only six volunteers came forward despite appeals and the idea had to be dropped.