Albert Edward Dandridge was born in 1909 at Headington. He worked at Morris Motors, Oxford, progressing to the Photographic Department, where he worked as a Technical Colourist, responsible for hand colouring large black and white photographs of the latest car models off the production line. By the 1950s he was heading up his own department and training apprentices.
He was also an enthusiastic and skilful model maker. As a child, when money was scarce, Albert had taught himself to make small rudimentary toys from odds and ends found around the family home to amuse his siblings and to satisfy his creative curiosity. The highlight of his year was the annual family visit to the St. Giles Fair in Oxford, especially the rides: the Scenic Railway, (referred to as “Switchback”), and the set of Galloping Horses, both of which would appear a few weeks later at the fairs in Thame High Street.
Throughout his life Alfred retained this continuing fascination for Fairs and Fairground rides, building up a large collection of original photographs and photographic plates from this period. Thus, in later life, when not at work he could be found in his shed turning his talents to creating his marvellous models of working fairground rides. The final pieces were based on the very prototypes of the horses, carriages etc. which Alfred had made from drawings in situ on his regular visits to St. Giles Fair and then later at Thame Fair when two of his daughters moved to Thame.
The two models on display here were made specially for two of his daughters, Gillian and Marion, using materials he had collected from decommissioned crashed aircraft sites, including parts of Spitfires.
The carousel with galloping horses, in coloured gilded wood with striped awning, was recently repaired and restored to working order, by Thame Shed. The two models were gifted to Thame Museum by their owners in Perpetuity.
Albert’s Granddaughter, Victoria recorded her recollections about Albert and you can read the unexpurgated recollections here.