1963 Edwin Hall Catalogue
This beautiful large horse ride was released by Edwin Hall & Co. of Streatham in January 1960. I don't believe he ever had a real name as such - advertising material from the time names him as plain old "horse". However, at least some of these horses were released with the name "Silver" painted on their bases...which is somewhat confusing considering Hall's smaller horse model shared this name! I have one of these in my personal collection who was known as "Silver" when I first saw him in the 1990s. However, he had the name "Broncho Buster" painted beneath...I'm unsure if this was an original Edwin Hall name or not. The original paintwork saw the horse in dapple grey with white mane and tail and a black nose.
Cain's Family Amusements, Sheerness, October 2018. I believe that this particular model dates from the early 60s due to the mix of fibreglass saddle, ornate saddle blanket and harness and "real" reins. While he has obviously been repainted, you can still spot the outline of his original name "Silver" painted on his base.
For better identification purposes in comparison to Hall's smaller "Silver" horse, this beauty stands at 5'3" with a length of 6'6" and width of 2'6". With beautiful realistic features, the horse is in a fast-moving pose and looks quite nervous, with neck arched, ears pinned back and wild eyes. His right foreleg is bent and raised, left front leg outstretched in front of him. Both back legs are bent and held out behind him, in a semi-jumping pose.
This pose has always reminded me of horses seen in Edwin Hall's classic fairground artwork. Most notably the horses in the Ben Hur Chariot Race artwork, originally found above A.C. Clowes' Shooting Gallery, and now displayed at Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre. It almost feels as though the horse has galloped straight out of the painting!
Part of Edwin Hall's Chariot Race painting, Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre.
This seems to have been a very popular ride at the time of its prodiction, but most were gone by the time of my 1990s childhood. As is usual with Edwin Hall rides produced over a number of years, there were several slight variations made. Earlier models appear to have had real leather reins, which were later replaced by a fibreglass bar. The originals seem to have had an ornate bridle and harness too, while later horses had no tack other than their saddles and saddle blankets. The most prominent difference I've noted is that some have their tail flying out behind them, while on others the tail drops down and is attached to the back legs. Possibly there was an issue with the "flying tail" getting broken off?
The Carousel Bar, North Pier, Blackpool, August 2018. I would have dated this horse to the early-mid 60s due to the mix of fibreglass saddle, ornate saddle blanket and "real" reins. However, the base is made of wood, a material I believed Hall had stopped using before this. I don't believe the base has been switched, as the coin post is in keeping with rides of the early 60s, and it seems unlikely that this has also been changed around during restoration.
Edwin Hall also apparently made the horse for use on fairground galloper sets, although I have yet to see one that was used for this purpose. I would presume that the saddle would need to be removed or at least modified to make way for a pole (and potentially to make the seat more comfortable for an adult-sized behind!)
Pensarn Pleasure Beach, May 2017. This horse has been at Pensarn Pleasure Beach for many years, probably since new. According to a man who worked there, she has been lovingly known as "Tina" for as long as anybody can remember. She was refurbished by Northern Leisure in the mid-2010s.
This pose has always reminded me of horses seen in Edwin Hall's classic fairground artwork. Most notably the horses in the Ben Hur Chariot Race artwork, originally found above A.C. Clowes' Shooting Gallery, and now displayed at Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre. It almost feels as though the horse has galloped straight out of the painting!
Part of Edwin Hall's Chariot Race painting, Dingles Fairground Heritage Centre.
This seems to have been a very popular ride at the time of its prodiction, but most were gone by the time of my 1990s childhood. As is usual with Edwin Hall rides produced over a number of years, there were several slight variations made. Earlier models appear to have had real leather reins, which were later replaced by a fibreglass bar. The originals seem to have had an ornate bridle and harness too, while later horses had no tack other than their saddles and saddle blankets. The most prominent difference I've noted is that some have their tail flying out behind them, while on others the tail drops down and is attached to the back legs. Possibly there was an issue with the "flying tail" getting broken off?
The Carousel Bar, North Pier, Blackpool, August 2018. I would have dated this horse to the early-mid 60s due to the mix of fibreglass saddle, ornate saddle blanket and "real" reins. However, the base is made of wood, a material I believed Hall had stopped using before this. I don't believe the base has been switched, as the coin post is in keeping with rides of the early 60s, and it seems unlikely that this has also been changed around during restoration.
Edwin Hall also apparently made the horse for use on fairground galloper sets, although I have yet to see one that was used for this purpose. I would presume that the saddle would need to be removed or at least modified to make way for a pole (and potentially to make the seat more comfortable for an adult-sized behind!)
Pensarn Pleasure Beach, May 2017. This horse has been at Pensarn Pleasure Beach for many years, probably since new. According to a man who worked there, she has been lovingly known as "Tina" for as long as anybody can remember. She was refurbished by Northern Leisure in the mid-2010s.
No comments:
Post a Comment