An official reading from a vehicle at the Riding of the Yarm Fair, possibly between 1930 – 1955. 
Picture Stockton Archive
A Pictorial History of Stockton-on-Tees
An official reading from a vehicle at the Riding of the Yarm Fair, possibly between 1930 – 1955.
I am Kathryn Burge, my grandmother was Joy Tagg daughter of Tom Tagg. I have all photos, cups, documents on his life. Live in Italy. Lost address of John Davies.
I am sure this coach is the Old Times Coach. The coachman is my Great Grandfather, Tom Tagg, and the man sitting right behind him is Cyril Bertram Mills, eldest son of Bertram Mills. The Mills family owned the Old Times and I think the year is 1945/46 because of how frail Tom Tagg looks, he died in september 1946. Lovely picture though.
As the coach carries the name “Brighton” on its side I think we can narrow the date of this photo down to 1938. That was the year in which the old London to Brighton stage coach was borrowed from Bertram Mills Circus and used to carry the chairman of the Parish Council around the town in order to read out the proclamation that announced the terms of the Fair. In “the old days” the proclamation was read out at 11 different parts of the town, by the 1950s this had reduced to 4 places including the north end, the middle and the southe end of the High Street. Above the heads in the background you can just make out the top of the ceremonial pike belonging to the parish council which dates back to 1726. In later years the official party performed the proclamation from the back of a lorry. I wonder how it is done these days ? (Above information taken from “A history of Yarm” by J W Wardell.)