Braithwaite, David

Orton and Spooner were an amalgamation of two Burton upon Trent companies, George Orton and Charles Spooner, who worked together producing wagons and shows with elaborate carved work at the turn of the 19th century. They remained pioneering fairground manufacturers until 1954 after which they functioned as a light engineering company until their closure in 1977.

The collection was acquired by David Braithwaite who undertook an enormous amount of work on the history of the company.

From the guide to the Orton and Spooner Collection, 1870s-1960s, (National Fairground Archive, University of Sheffield Library)

William Keating of Southport was one of the first commercial photograph reproducers to serve the fledgling fairground enthusiast community. He primarily collected postcards and photographs of key events and created high quality copy negatives to then allow reproductions to be sold. He secured a small number of his own images which was acquired by David Braithwaite.

Keating was a key member of the Friendship Circle of Showland Fans.

From the guide to the Keating Collection, 1880s-1970s, (National Fairground Archive, University of Sheffield Library)