Top 5 Objects to See at Nottingham Castle – Number 1:
The Goose Fair, Nottingham by Arthur Spooner, 1926
[On loan from a private collection; © The artist’s estate / Bridgeman Images | FALOAN 95]
There is so much to see and do at Nottingham Castle. Through this series of blog posts we hope to show what exciting treasures await our visitors by highlighting the top 5 objects to see at the Castle!
All these objects are included in your Standard Admission to Nottingham Castle – pay once, visit all year round!
As guests enter the Long Gallery from the North side, they are often immediately drawn to a gorgeously vibrant painting just by the door. This is the first object that we have selected for this series: the painting The Goose Fair, Nottingham by Arthur Spooner.
Painted in 1926, by local artist Arthur Spooner, this painting depicts Nottingham’s famous Goose Fair which is held every autumn. First held in 1284 as a market where geese and cheese were sold, the fair has now grown into a massive fun-fair bringing in hundreds of thousands of visitors to our city every year!
Running almost every year since the 13th Century, the fair has only been cancelled a few times in its long history; first in 1646 due to the Black Death, during the First and Second World War, and most recently due to the Covid-19 pandemic!
This painting shows one of the last times Goose Fair was held in the market square as it moved to its current location in Forest Recreational Ground in 1928. This was also one of the last paintings of the old Exchange building in Old Market Square, which was demolished the year this was painted and replaced by the Council House with its iconic dome.
Spooner shows the Goose Fair in all its colourful glory in the Old Market Square with steam powered fun-fair rides, clowns, games and traders. There are so many details in this painting that every time you look at it you can see a new moment occurring. When you visit, see if you can spot the woman having her necklace stolen by an opportunistic thief!
The Goose Fair, Nottingham is not the only stunning Arthur Spooner painting on display in our Long Gallery. Why not visit our galleries and check Arthur Spooner’s Nottingham Old Market Place and other amazing works of fine art? There are many more wonderful artists on display in our permanent collection, including Lowry, Rossetti, and Turner – and many more!
Standard Admission to Nottingham Castle is required – pay once, visit all year round!
October | Temporary Exhibition
A Fair Story: A contemporary exploration of travelling Showmen
26 September 2026 – 10 January 2027