A Norfolk market town is gearing up to celebrate its historic horse fair - keeping centuries of tradition alive.
St Winnold's Day Parade honours Downham Market's horse fair, which was once the third largest in Europe, and celebrates the town's proud equine history.
In its heyday, the fair was considered one of the most important places for horse trading and people locally used to breed Hackney horses for sale there.
Thousands would flock to the town to buy and sell the animals on St Winnold's Day - March 3 - with as many as 10,000 being sold.
According to the Downham Market and District Amenity Society, St Winnold's Fair was the first fair ever to be held in the town and was the area's principle event of the middle ages.
Other fairs for the sale of horses and cattle were believed to be held on the first Friday in May and the second Friday in November but were considered of lesser importance.
St Winnold's Fair, which is now organised by Downham Market Town Council (DMTC), will take place this year on Friday, March 25.
A procession of horses will leave the town council offices on Paradise Road at 9.30am and make its way to Bridge Street. The town's crier will also read a proclamation.
Animals involved in this year's event include a Suffolk wearing a traditional harness, a Shire ridden in a Victorian costume, a pony from the West Norfolk Riding for the Disabled Association and animals from Miniature Donkeys for Wellbeing.
Dozens of spectators are expected to line the streets to watch the parade and those attending next week include Year 4 children from Nelson Academy and Hillcrest Primary School.
A DMTC spokesperson said: "We would love the town to take part in celebrating this very historic event."
History of the fair:
The tradition is named after St Winnold, a 6th Cornish saint whose family fled to Brittany to avoid the Saxons.
After his death he was commemorated at a monastery in Wereham, where the horse fair initially was held.
It was later held in Wimbotsham before it moved to Downham Market in the 19th century.
The fair also commemorates the town's first market charter which was granted by Edward the Confessor in 1046, 20 years before the Battle of Hastings and the start of the Norman Conquest.
Dealing would take place in the streets and in the Howdale field over three days, where many thousands of horses were supplied to the armed forces during the First World War to tow gun carriages.
The Downham Market sign features horses to commemorate the town's horse-trading heritage.
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