Fair Booth Approximately 500 Yards South East Of Junction With Andover Road

Fair booth located approximately 500 yards southeast of the junction with Andover Road. This former fair booth dates from the early 19th century and is constructed of flint with brick dressings, topped with a corrugated asbestos roof. It has a rectangular plan and is a single storey. The entrance is boarded up and flanked by windows that have horizontally set shutters; the lower leaves drop down to form a counter, while the upper leaves create a canopy. This booth is one of the few remaining structures from Weyhill Fair, which is recognized as one of the most significant historic fairs in the country, documented as early as 1225 and continuing until 1959. William Cobbett visited the fair multiple times and mentioned it in his work, Rural Rides. Thomas Hardy also featured Weyhill Fair in his novel, The Mayor of Casterbridge, renaming it Weydon Priors. The booth represents an important survival of permanent fair booths, which are a rare building type.