Tichfield Bonfire Boys Carnival - pics through the years

The Titchfield Bonfire Boys (TBBS) carnival, which saw its last parade in 2016, took place in late October or early November.

 Though nobody is quite sure when it began, evidence suggests that Titchfield Carnival has been an event since around 1880. Its exact origin remains a bit of a mystery.

In 1887, a date for a carnival was decided upon at an assembly held in Temperance Hall. This meeting was documented in Hampshire Telegraph and was the first documented.

The origins of the carnival remain a great enigma.

A variety of explanations have been proposed to explain the origins of TBBS. Some believe it was spawned from the November 5 bonfire festivities, while others claim it revived a tradition of raucous revelry related to an obsolete harvest fair.

The most beloved tale recounts an event that took place long ago, which featured the burning of a tar barrel effigy of a person who had acquired immense unpopularity.

The subject of who had dropped from grace is still a puzzle, however, it is rumoured that it may have been the Third Earl of Southampton. Though this individual passed away more than 250 years prior to TBBS being established in around 1880.

In 1894, the local newspaper gave a detailed account of the town's carnival. The event was led by the TBBS who marched around in costumes with a trolley full of guys and rockets.

As the sun began to set, the TBBS was accompanied by the Titchfield Drum and Fife Band and torchbearers in a procession of musicality and light which made its way to a paddock owned by Mr Wilkins of the Bugle pub.

in 1898, an enthralling display was presented: a re-enactment of General Gordon's final stand of 1884, accompanied by a troop of lancers wearing white helmets and the Khalifa was burnt in effigy.