Warwick Mop

[chillitt]

Deep breath...
Of those 800 years of history for the Mop, how many of them have been powered bu ill maintained diesel generators? How many of them have enjoyed the sounds of short bursts of very loud 'pop' music on a contastly repeating loop?
How much hiring actually goes on at this traditional hiring fair?

If the market place is restored to its former glory by 8 am on sunday, where to all the pools of hydraulic oil and worst come from, and why does the place stink of diesel for a week?

You sem to think that dislike of the mop is down to the desire to modernise - far from it the mop as run now is using a traditional fair to force all the worst part of modern life on the residents of warwick, a town probably more intent on preseving the traditional than any other.

I work in the town centre, my place of employment has not changed for more than 100 years, and my job involves preserving this town and many others.

The only reason you can possibly have missed the difference between the Christmas fair (mostly steam powered, Traditional and fun) and the mop(filthy noisy and a tatfest) is because you have some vested interest in the mop.


Welcome to the forum.

[Unregistered]

hmm interesting...

I think I said there was no reasoning, you have underlined this. You accuse me of a vested interest without even knowing my connection (if any) with the event.

Anyway, before you decide to become more personal towards me I will remind you that I have said my bit, I have highlighted the facts and that this thread is very biased, unfair and the opinion of a minority and leave it at that! I'm not prepared to be provoked into a slanging match as this achieves nothing.

I would also like to reiterate my request to a moderator that the thread be removed on the grounds of bias, innaccuracy and damage to the reputation of our towns heritage.

Thanks.

[chillitt]

Not prepared to discuss the issue then?
Iwouldn't dream of making a personal attack on you over this, and if you had just said you love the mop and all about it, then I probably would not have even replied, because thats up to you. You have made accusations about me (as the thread starter) of being part of some anti-heritage plot involving the chamber of trade which is about as wrong as it's possible to get.

As you want the thread pulled, does that mean I am not allowed an opinion, or that my (and others) opinions because they differ with yours should not be allowed?

[cathidaw]

Now boys!!---dont fall out.
I used love these mops but now they are no more than prolonged funfairs.
Maybe they weren't, 800 years ago when presumably this charter was granted.
And also perhaps the rules should be the same---only steam attractions -no modern vehicles - which would mean no deisel.
Or would that intrude too much on the shopkeepers in the town--you know the tinkle of the steam-based music with its own peculiar smell ?
I dont think it would.
It would also keep out the riff-raff stallholders especially all those identical stalls with sweatshop clothing.
Some years, at the end of September , I go to the big 3 day steam fair in Stourpane Bushes in Dorset where all the steam people meet up at the end of every year. It is It is so good to see these wonderful engines still working .there is a magic about them -and the smell.
Tell me about the magic in the scent of deisel fumes.

[Shizara]

Our members are right when saying that when the Mop first began diesel and it's revolting fumes were not part the Mop. I realize things to a lesser or greater degree 'move with the times' but surely this shouldn't be done to

.......force all the worst part of modern life on the
residents of warwick, a town probably more intent on preserving the traditional than any other.

When celebrating the things that are traditional why do we need to add things that are not only an annoyance to others for various reasons but are also on the list of things that cause serious health problems? EPA, the ACGIH, NIOSH and IARC agree that diesel exhaust is a human carcinogen. Other respiratory disorders caused or exacerbated by diesel exhaust include asthma and chronic bronchitis.

To our unregistered user, this thread is not biased, it is the opinions of a few who have responded and I do not see a reason to remove the thread. If you feel a comment is inaccurate why not prove to us that this is so, in a reasonable manner, that we might understand why you feel as you do? As you have already said, slanging matches achieve nothing, however, reasoning opinions benefit all.

Local traditions need to be preserved and the knowledge of the history behind them. They add colour to towns, can be fun, usually attract many visitors and in the case of the mop the mayor appears in his regalia officially opening the mop. On the downside, because it is being held in the town, this is the 21st century which means roads are closed which will inconvenience many, the crime rate goes up so watch your pockets and purses. Fairs can be magical places though as cathidaw points out:

Show me the magic in diesel fumes.

[Will]

I don't know why they can't move it to somewhere like the racecourse maybe? That would be well out of everyone's way, but not so far that people can't go.

[Shizara]

It would seem the most sensible solution.

[Toad]

Just thought it would cheer everybody up that now WDC's new money-making parking scheme is about to start (6th August) the mop people will have to compensate us (taxpayers) for the loss of parking charges and parking fines. The chamber of trade is also trying to get them to pay the going rate for ruining the town for 6 days. Hopefully both financial penalties will put them off. They can take their fighting gangs somewhere else!

[Toad]

It's also worth mentioning to your unregistered contributor that the chamber of trade does not run the Victorian Evening, it helps in the running - and it attracts about 800% more people than the mop! How many shops stay open for the mop - not many because they are too frightened of being targetted by the yobs that the mop attracts. Most of the shops stay open for the VE.

[Madhatter]

I'm offended by unregistered accusing me of being biased. I am not biased against any fair, but you have to take in to account that a lot of things have changed over the years. The fair has changed, the people running it, the rides, the music, the power supply, The town has changed, the shops, the owners, the customers, the streets, pedestrian zones, car parking, street furniture. You can't have all that change, carry on as if it was 800 yrs ago and expect no one to complain. You're lucky your allowed to have the fair in the town centre with all this health and safety obsession.
In fact I am biased towards the fairs, and my family have done a bit to help fairs over the years.
Atherstone has created a dickens night that has a real fair with modern rides as well as traditional, The carnival also now has a proper fair instead of the carnival paying for mickey mouse market day rides that can't be bothered to turn up n let the kids down. Unfortunately it was a washout last year but the fair will be back this.

Fairs provide entertainment for all ages and can leave lasting memories of a magical childhood, I remember Atherstone carnival fair from when I was a child very well indeed.
However my friends sister has the opposite because she was set upon by a gang of yobs and a girl beat her badly while she had to watch. She's never been to a fair since and won't let her children. That is unacceptable and fairs need to work with others to stop that sort of behaviour.

Is it really necessary to have generators in the street?

[Unregistered]

GET A LIFE YOU LOAD OF KILL JOYS !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Warwick Mop will be in the streets for many many YEARS TO COME for generations of children to ENJOY!!!!!!!

the mop takes over swan street, brook st the marketplace market st new street and the car parks in new st and brook st from thursday 4 pm till some point on sunday. this is over 2 weekends. during this time no shops on those streets can take deliveries in, or send anything out unless they can carry it some distance.
while the mop was on last week diesel fumes made the market place and my shop just off it a health hazzard. i had to shut the shop because the staff we getting woozy.
it differs from any other event in that there seems to be zero consideration to health and safety or disruption to locals.
it gets away with it because they have a 'charter' which i believe states they pay a few quid a year for the trouble the cause, but it literally a few quid.
they claim to be traditional, in that originally the first mop was a hiring fair where all the local lads would find gainful employ, and the second mop is the 'runaway fair' where if these lads didn't like their new job, they got a second go. quite what that has to do with deisel generators, candy floss and 'bent' try your luck games i have no idea. my shop hasn't changed for 111 years, thats traditional, but it doesn't stop them running a tatfest on the pavement outside.
usually the town starts to return to normal on the monday after the second mop, litter blows round the town for another few days while the council chaps chase it, the oil and other stains are gradually washed way, and blood pressures return to normal. i am not a fan.

[Unregistered]

Bribed or threatened. Get real you ediot. Warwick Mop has a charter going back hundreds of years and the council nor you can do nothing about it. It would take an act of parliment to get the Mop moved and thats not going to happen. So go and crawl back under the stone that you came from under and STOP THERE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

i have to say, upsetting the showmans guild isn't too far up my list of priorities, and i cant see why it should be on the councils list either. unless they are being bribed or threatened by them...

[Unregistered]

Shove the Chamber of trade were the SUN DOESNT SHINE.

Good idea but Chamber tried that. They are not memebers of the dreaded, feared Showmans Guild!!

But, more news, apparently the local council are so worried by the violence that the mop attracted that they are reviewing what can be changed for next year.
There is hope for change yet, and the Chamber of Trade are leading the way - again.

[chillitt]

Some interesting points, er.. reg, (can I call you reg?) well presented. Thanks for clearing that up. hmm..... I smell candy floss diesel and cheap burgers...

[Unregistered]

hmm as i understand people are entitled to their opinion there are a lot of untrue things said on here especially about the showmens guild,they are not run by a bunch of gangsters as someone seems to think,as for the apparent violence where on earth are the police but nobody seems to be having a go about them.dont you have violence on youre streets on any normal weekend night then?maybe warwick council should take a leaf out of neath porttalbot councils books who part run great fair which also has a charter going back 850 years,the council have erected new lampposts with power points and underground hidden power points which can be lowered and raised when needed,youll find no generators in that town center,perhaps you could check youre facts before present such ill informed nonsense.

[Unregistered]

dear toad and chillit,where do you get your facts from the daily sport!!!as has been pointed out the only thing that can stop a ROYAL charter is an act of parliament which is supported by mps then voted for in the house of lords.as for bribary this is what you are doing by using lies to get people to support youre pointless demonstration,also the showmens guild pay lots of rent to be there for the mop which increases each year above inflation,this rent goes a long way towards the councils spending budget.how would you feel if youre taxes shot up as a result of the mop being stopped somehow,i wonder.