ORIGINALLY POSTED September 2014
It’s early September and darkness is falling early now. It’s around 8pm on Saturday night. I’ve been at Beaulieu International Autojumble since the gates opened at 7.30am the previous day – but I havn’t seen much of it yet. Running the bookstall is a full time affair and leaves no opportunity to wander unless it’s closed up – and you don’t sell anything when you are closed.
It’s been a busy day, although sales have been fairly small in number, the value of each has been good enough to rack up a decent total. The weather has been great (which is a bit unusual) although the crowds have not been as huge as they were in years gone by .
The final sale of the day, one of the better ones, took place slowly but surely over the course of the final hour, long after the public had departed. During the process I had time to fry the egg and bacon for my supper which was consumed with sweet onion relish in a nice fresh bread roll. Those last customers, really lovely people who’s company I thoroughly enjoyed as they browsed the pick of 1920’s motor travel books , departed happily with “9000 MILES IN EIGHT WEEKS” by Mrs Victor Bruce and “IN UNFAMILIAR ENGLAND” in their carrier bags. Now, as the light rapidly disappears behind the nearby Abbey ruins, there’s really no-one left in sight who looks likely to buy anything else so it’s time to put the stall ‘to bed’ and take a stroll round the site because even in the dark there is always something to see here.
Just up the aisle from my stall is one run by THE AUTOMOBILE magazine. They’re all shut up but poking it’s nose out of the marquee’s front door is a gloriously whacky late 1950’s Panhard – exactly like the one that sits out in the weather about two miles down the road from my home back in the Forest of Dean . But the one at Beaulieu drove there – I doubt the one I am familiar with has moved under it’s own steam in a decade.
Over in the ‘food area’ there’s a rather good band playing live rock and roll. It segues from covering THE KINKS and ROLLING STONES to STEPPENWOLF (there’s a surprise…given how many motorcyclists are present!) before an enthusiastic audience who are patronising the surrounding burger vans and the bars beneath a large marquee roof.
Nearby there’s a large tool stall with a humming generator powering enough lights to illuminate a small B&Q branch . It’s still doing good business. Elsewhere there are assorted fry-ups, barbecues and drinking sessions in progress among the 2000 or so stalls that make up this event. Old fashioned ‘Tilly lamps’ and fancy little LED devices penetrate the dark smoky atmosphere now the sun has fully set.
There’s a full moon-rising and it’s still warm and tranquil. Some stalls are operating by the headlights of vehicles pulled up in the aisles for the night. Everywhere you look there’s something strange. In the furthest field I even found a Biplane parked on it’s own stall with wings removed and tucked alongside! No idea what make it is (anyone?) and less idea of how it might be ‘taken home’ by any prospective buyer!
Not far away is surely the daddy of all finds – BLUEBIRD!
Well…not actually, not the real one, but what looks like a pretty fair replica complete with genuine Napier 12 cylinder ‘Broad Arrow’ engine like the original , taken to a Land Speed Record by Malcolm Campbell in 1927. It makes quite a sight looming out of the darkness with menace under the glow of my wind-up torch.
A few yards away there’s a part going on, dozens of Dutch enthusiasts are downing a great deal of alcohol and enjoying the evening as the inevitable barbecue smoke drifts between the marquees and caravan awnings, market stalls and garden gazebos. There will be some sore heads tomorrow morning.
But mine won’t be one of them, tomorrow is another full day and it’s a 6am start…
