Early 1900s Fairground Art Carousel Dragon By Orton & Spooner

Early 1900s fairground dragon from a fairground carousel made by renowned fair ground artists George Orton & Charles Spooner known collectively as Orton & Spooner.  Aged absolutely perfectly still with original paint, velvet covered seating untouched no restoration only cleaned & ready for a good home.

Height 106cm, Length 132cm, Depth 26cm.

George Orton, a wheelwright and coachbuilder by trade, was born in 1843 at Measham, Leicestershire. Charles Spooner, a wood carver, was born in Burton-on-Trent in 1871.

George Orton’s first premises in Burton-on-Trent were said to have been at the bottom of Bearwood Hill, where he started building Gipsy and other wagons, and in 1875 he established the ‘Lion Carriage Works’. It has been recorded that his first commission from a travelling showman was around 1883/4 and subsequent work of this type mainly involved the construction of living wagons that were used as dwellings and as part of the highly decorated fairground showfronts of the day.

One of Orton’s suppliers was a young man named Charles Spooner, who set up his own business in 1892 having been apprenticed to Walter Gifford Hilton, a wood carver of Victoria Street, Burton. Spooner’s father had been the landlord of Burton’s Old Swan Hotel and it was in the hotel yard that Charles set up shop, hence the name ‘Swan Works’.

The two firms worked together from 1894, but although they were often referred to collectively as Orton & Spooner they did not officially amalgamate until 1925, when a company was formed called George Orton, Sons and Spooner Ltd.

Free UK delivery, please contact us for shipping outside of the UK.

Many of the items we have for sale are all from what we refer to as " Real Life ", they were all made for use & purpose. There will always be signs of use & aging which we think gives each item its individuality & personal charm. We clean & repair but we always try our best to keep everything in its original state. We will always give you a good idea of condition & especially highlight anything that we consider may have aesthetic or structural concern.

You are more than welcome to purchase this item in person & pick it up from our London based workshop.

International buyers will need to check with their local authorities to see if any customs & import taxes are applicable. Any additional customs & tax payments are the responsibility of the buyer.

We can not be held responsible for delays due to customs.