Artists Franny Swann and Ros Barker have had their proposal for a project to celebrate Farningham’s history accepted by KCC’s Kent Cultural Baton. www.kentculturalbaton.com They have chosen to recreate the fun of the ancient Horse Fair that was once held on Market Meadow. On June 11th they will be installing a field of Hobby Horses made by and for Farningham residents, businesses and friends of Farningham. This project will run alongside Farningham Village Fete. What is the Baton? The Kent Cultural Baton is a rare 1950s American Airstream caravan, adapted into a mobile creative space that can capture the sounds, pictures and stories of each ‘host’ place as it travels around Kent to reveal the ‘hidden’ as exposed by local artists. The Baton is touring the county in the period leading up to the London 2012 Games to promote Kent’s culture. The Airstream will be in attendance at the fete and your Farningham project will consequently be part of the final map that will celebrate its two year journey through Kent. The Kent Cultural Baton project is one of only seven in the county to achieve the official Cultural Olympiad Inspire Mark. This project is yours: If you are a resident or friend of Farningham you can be part of it by making a hobby horse. The horse should reflect who you are and maybe what you do. We have 100 wooden horse blanks to distribute. We will give you a leaflet with some making ideas but it can be as simple as painting the head. Horses will be tagged with the maker’s name. If you run a business or shop in or around Farningham then we will make you a horse that reflects your business for a fee. This will go towards buying more horses. Sponsored horses will have the business name and website/ telephone number on a rosette. The Farningham Hobby Horses will travel around Kent by invitation and be photographed by Sarah Medway at each location. One day we hope there will be a book of their journey………….. Franny and Ros. Contact: 01322 864023 to collect your blank horse to decorate. Links: www.re-title.com www.rosalindbarker.co.uk www.sarahmedwayphotography.com www.kentculturalbaton.com
The Pure Art Fair - Battle
ON THE MOVE! Images from all our travels .............
Hobby Horse Image Pages
Saturday 11th June - and The Farningham Hobby Horse Project launched in glorious sunshine, alongside Farningham Fete, and with the Kent Cultural Baton airstream caravan in attendance. A huge field of hobby horses; manes and flags flowing in the wind, and colour and glitter and craziness everywhere. Brilliant. Those who had made horses turned out with their friends, and excited families and children searched the field for their own horse.Visitors wandered through the horses all afternoon and Panek's hilarious and talented ‘Galloping Cuckoos' performance group sung love songs to their bright yellow hobby horse .................. Nicole Mollet’s silver airstream caravan watched over proceedings with many taking the opportunity to venture inside and look at Geoff Burr’s collection of horse - related archaeological finds and horseshoes through the ages. When we began the project we didn't know if we would get six or sixty horses returned to us. In fact we had 120 horses in the field on the day, each one reflecting its maker; who they were and what they did. The Farningham Horse Project is a rare thing - a true community project that reflects a community at a moment in time while connecting it to its past by re-creating it's ancient horse fair. As artists we loved this linking back and forth and also the honesty of this project. We gave the village permission to play and they responded by trusting us, entering into the spirit of the project and gifting us the most amazing horses. We are both hugely grateful for everyone's support and enthusiasm. The Farningham Hobby Horse Project will now travel round Kent until June 2012.To follow their escapades keep watching www.farninghamhobbyhorseproject.phanfare.com where we will be uploading and updating a calendar of Hobby Horse appearances and photoshoots through the seasons until their return to Farningham Fete in June 2012.
Images from the project 2011-2012.Here you will find a collection of photographs taken as we prepare for the Fair and then begin to take the horses around Kent, bringing them back to Farningham and Market Meadow in June 2012 with a photographic record of their travels.Disasters and triumphs........and all the fun!If you are making us a horse - thankyou.If you are not and are a resident or a friend of Farningham in some way then please contact frannyswann@hotmail.com for a horse.Horses have to be returned decorated by May 27th 2011.
Farningham and Market Meadow.Occupied since the Iron Age Farningham is one of the loveliest villages in Kent. At its heart lies an old Mill on the Darent River, a tributary of the Thames.In 1270 Ralph de Fremingham was granted the right to hold a weekly market and an annual fair which brought "the usual gathering of providers of gaiters, fried fish, whips, nuts, sweets and penny timekeepers.” It also bought wealth and status.The fair which was held in June lasted three days and was the highlight of medieval village life. At this time markets were held weekly with booths set up all along the dusty road.The market came to cover a large area and by the 19th century there were substantial livestock fairs with the Horse Fair on Market Meadow.. Fairs and markets were held in Market Meadow until the Great War. Today Market Meadow is a walled field in the centre of Farningham bounded on one side by the river Darent.In the centre of the field can be seen a large mound covering the ruins of an ancient manor house owned by the Roper family. In 1972 an archaeological dig revealed 14ft thick walls of a Tudor castle below that. In 1997 the field was purchased by the villagers and friends of Farningham when it came up for sale. It now belongs to the village and is kept as a wildlife sanctuary except for the twelve times a year that the villagers may apply to use it.It is here in its original location that Franny and Ros have chosen to recreate the old Horse Fair with the Farningham Hobby Horses…………Images on this web page show the original Horse Fair, Market Meadow, Farningham High Street, and the Farningham village sign.The sign shows Wadard - a mounted Norman knight – in an image of him taken from the Bayeux Tapestry. Wadard held a farm in Farningham and several others in Kent.The prancing horse is of course, the symbol of Kent itself, soon to be evidenced by a huge 50m white horse sculpture by Mark Wallinger to be situated at Ebsfleet.