Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month: A Brief History of Aikey Brae
As part of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month, Buchan Heritage member Doug Simpson brings us on a trip of nostalgia back to Aikey Fair in the 1960s.
“At one time Aikey was the big event of the year in Buchan and it is a sad reflection on our generation that we have been the ones who allowed this ancient traditional fair, to finally die.
There is quite a history to Aikey Fair, but in a nutshell Aikey Brae, two miles or so to the west of Old Deer was at one time completely covered in Oak trees, the ancient Scots word for Oak was ‘Aik’ hence the name ‘Aikey Brae’ the hill covered in Aik trees.
Legend has it that a packman trying to ford the river Ugie near Aikey misjudged his step and fell into the water, soaking himself and the contents of his pack. As it was a lovely sunny day in July, he spread his wares out on the hillside to dry. A lot of people passing by on the ancient roadway between Old Deer and Maud stopped to buy his goods and he did a roaring trade.
So pleased was he with his sales that he promised to return with more stock the following year and that is how the legend of ‘Aikey’ was born.
The fair became an annual event held on the first Wednesday after the 19th of July in which all manner of goods to tempt country folks were for sale. It went on to become a widely renowned horse market with up to a thousand horses and ponies being offered for sale on the day.
In 1926 on the Sunday before the fair a shrewd showman set up a merry-go-round on the hillside, it proved to be a big attraction and that was the birth of what we called Aikey Sunday.
Aikey was massive, with car parks on both sides of the road and they were full to bursting point. There were cars parked on the verges to the east and west side and there were bikes lying all over the place.
Special buses were put on by local businesses and others travelled to and from towns and villages to the fair the whole day. A typical fare was 2/6 (12p!) from Peterhead.
Attendances on the Sunday were put at around 20,000 and the first thing everyone did was to buy a hat. That was a lot of hats for sure!
The hats were mainly of the Stetson style, made of a cheap felt and cost around 1/6 to 2/6. There were black and brown ones for the men and brightly coloured red and pink ones for the women. Some had the word ‘Sheriff’ emblazoned on the front of them and others ‘Kiss me Quick’ and other such catchy phrases of the time. Simple though they were, they certainly helped to create a real carnival atmosphere,
Everyone was happy and carefree at Aikey. You could win a goldfish or a coconut, ride on the chairoplanes or the waltzers, indulge in chips, ice cream, candy floss and toffee apples, see magic shows and side-shows and many other attractions.
When you went to Aikey in the Sixties from the Old Deer side, the first sight that greeted you was the massive structure of ‘Evans Entertainments Wall of Death’, owned by ‘Stunt Al Evans’ and his father and travelled to fairs throughout the country. It was one of the most expensive attractions at the fair.
Al started to ride the wall in 1956 aged 16 and continued to ride professionally until 1968, when he was married and decided the risks were just too great, so he sold up and bought waltzers.
He has very fond memories of coming to Aikey. Al rode an Indian Scout bike which was the chosen machine for nearly all riders due to its low centre of gravity and reliability. For further thrills, Al also went on the wall on a standard Triumph Cub and a Go-Kart! Al, an Aberdonian by birth, was born in his parents’ caravan on the links at Aberdeen.
For real heart-thumping, pure adrenalin rushing, sheer animal excitement, nothing beat a visit to Johnnie Smith’s Boxing Booth at Aikey Fair, a highly charged, exhilarating and brutal place at times, a place of blood, sweat, tears and pain. This was also a very expensive attraction. The prize on offer was very good for the time, £10, £20 or in some cases up to a £50, if you could beat or last a nominated number of rounds with the booth boxer. £10 was probably equivalent to two weeks wages at the time.
Needless to say, the prize was rarely won but that did nothing to deter an eager string of contenders who couldn’t wait to get beaten soft in pursuit of it!
The booth boxers were often ex-professionals, tough, bruised and highly skilled in their craft. They took on contenders twice their size on a daily basis and were rarely beaten.
One well known boxer was Bill Cormack who used to travel down from Caithness to box at the fair. Bill had many successes in the ring and entered partly for the money but also out of a sheer love of the sport. Bill travelled to participate at other local fairs as there was little outlet for his career in the North of Scotland.
Bill recalled the last time the booth was at Aikey in1964. Although the booth was given a sleazy and almost immoral image by boxing historians, many highly respected fighters have graced the ‘tober’ and were proud of it.
Famous booth boxers of the past have included Freddie Mills, Randolph Turpin, Rinty Monaghan, Jimmy Wilde and Scotland’s own Benny Lynch, world champions all.
The booths have also attracted celebrities such as Oliver Reed and Syd James.
Sadly, we have to accept that Aikey is now gone and will probably never be resurrected. Times move on, things change, people change and nothing sustains. Among other things a whole new world of entertainment has emerged since the sixties and has condemned the simple pleasures of fairs like Aikey to the recycle bin.”
From the memories of Doug Simpson, who has kindly allowed us to share them for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month, June 2026.