Interview with Anthony Harris

Anthony Harris was born on 22 April 1940 to Elias and Evelyn Harris, a fairground family from Hounslow, London. Anthony first got involved in the family business as a child learning to be a wall of death rider from his father, who had been a wall of death rider himself. In the early 1960s Anthony took an apprenticeship with renowned fairground artist Fred Fowle, from whom he learnt the traditional art of fairground painting. He used his painting skills for the rest of his career refreshing the family rides and lorries in the winter breaks and later teaching them to his sons.

Anthony married Christina Shaw, the daughter of Walter Shaw, a showman from the Lancashire area on 2 December 1968. By this time, Anthony was travelling several fairground rides with the Collins Fun Fair and the two families had created strong ties. 

Anthony and Christina had three sons Michael, Charles and Anthony Jnr. 

The family business prospered between the 1960s and the 1970s. In 1979, Elias retired and Anthony decided to partner up with Pat Collin’s grandson Patrick Collins, sharing ownership of the famous firm. Four years later Anthony became the sole owner of Pat Collins Fun Fairs at Rowley Regis.

Anthony became a successful and influential showman and over the years served as Chairman of the Midlands section of the Showmen’s Guild of Great Britain as well as its President. For over twenty eight years, he worked with the Health and Safety Executive developing the safety of fairgrounds amusement parks in the UK and also served as negotiator working alongside European showmen to establish a European standard for funfairs.

In 2004 Anthony became councillor for Walsall Borough Council for the Conservative party. In October 2012 he was appointed Leisure and Culture Portfolio Holder following the resignation of Councillor Barry Sanders. Anthony also sat for many years on the Advisory Committee of the National Fairground and Circus Archive at Sheffield University where he still serves as Adviser Emeritus.

Although in the twenty first century Pat Collins Fun Fairs is mainly managed by Anthony’s sons, he still takes active part in some aspects of the business.