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Jimmy Williams Gallopers by Brian Steptoe The ornate ride that belonged to the late Jimmy Williams from 1974 until his death in April 2006 will probably always be known as the Jimmy Williams gallopers. It was originally made by Savages in 1896 for a travelling showman named William Symonds of Gloucester. It was built as a four-abreast ride and travelled around fairs in the West of England. For longer journeys, it would be moved by rail, with the centre truck on one railcar and the timberwork and animals on others. On one such journey in 1909, the centre truck caught fire, probably due to sparks from the rail engine, when going through a railway tunnel. The centre was then rebuilt and the ride became a three-abreast one. In 1913 the ride was sold and then passed through several more owners to Stokes from the Southampton area in the 1940s. At that time the current outer row horses by Anderson and the middle row by Savages were on the ride. Earlier photographs show that the Anderson outer row were on the ride at a much earlier date. Some of the paintings by Claude Stokes, thought to be related to the 1940s owner, can still be seen on the ride today. Examples of these, one signed by C.Stokes, are on the bottom centre shutters. These shutters, which hide the centre truck from riders, are believed to be original 1890s carved work. As is usual for British fairground rides, it was sold on several more times and came back to the West of England, to showman Tom Whitelegg in 1948. At that stage it was converted from steam power to electric drive. Whiteleggs had the rounding boards replaced with aluminium and decorated by Fred Fowle. The ride went into store in 1958 and remained there until purchased by Jimmy Williams in 1975. Jimmy had previously owned another set of Gallopers, which he sold to what is now the Six Flags Park in New Jersey. This earlier set still operates there today. When acquired by Jimmy, the ride still had the Anderson carved horses on the outer row, Savage long-neck horses on the centre row and a mixture of fibreglass animals on the inner row. These latter were quickly changed to wooden Spooner cockerels(roosters) and so the ride today has 36 all wooden animals. Jimmy also replaced the rounding boards with traditional wooden ones. Jimmy Williams was a well-respected traditional fairground painter as well as a ride owner and he set about re-painting many of the animals, the new rounding boards, the top centre panels and the platform and steps. A Gaudin 65-key fair organ was also added to the ride centre. Jimmy Williams retired from travelling in 1990 and maintained the ride and its artwork, stored at his premises, until his death. The ride is now owned by Sir William McAlpine, having been purchased by his wife for him as a 70th birthday present. This was agreed by Jimmy and his wife “Bunch” Williams before Jimmy’s death, giving the ride a safe future. It now opens at the McAlpine’s private premises near Henley-on-Thames as one of the attractions alongside several steam rail features at his premises. The gallopers are operated here by its keeper Robert Bance with help from other volunteers who help to maintain the McAlpine collection. This set of photos (other than the one of the McAlpines) were taken on a Members Day for the volunteer teams and their friends and families.
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