Ancient Downham Market tradition to be revitalised so more people can enjoy St Winnold's Day celebrations

Officials hope more people will be able to enjoy an historic tradition in Downham next month when the event moves to a weekend.

The tradition of St Winnold’s Day, which remembers the town’s historic horse fair, dates back centuries in Downham. It was revived in the town in 2004.

The event, organised by the town council, has typically been held on a Friday in recent years, but for the first time, this year’s celebrations will take place on a Saturday and include the new additions of a medieval-style fair and a heritage exhibition created by the town’s heritage society.

Town clerk Elaine Oliver said: “We have decided to do it on a Saturday so more people can get involved. On a Friday, people are working and children are at school, although we do usually see some schoolchildren.

“Some people didn’t know why we parade through the streets with the horses, so the addition of the fair and the exhibition will make it more user friendly and hopefully people will understand the purpose of it.”

The St Winnold’s Day event takes place on Saturday, March 21. The parade starts from the town council offices on Paradise Road at 9.15am, with the medieval-style fair and exhibition taking place in either the town hall or the town square, dependant on weather, from 10am to 2pm.

The St Winnold’s parade celebrates the town’s historic horse fair, which was said to have been one of Europe’s biggest, and the town’s Friday and Saturday markets.

These markets were granted in 1046 and confirmed by Edward the Confessor in a charter of 1053.

Initially held outside the town, the horse fair moved into Downham in the 19th century and made it one of the most important trading centres for horses in Europe.

St Winnold is a sixth century Cornish saint whose day, March 3, is associated with the town’s horse fair.