THE Great Dorset Steam Fair is a great day out for all the family, and a new book charting the fair’s 40-year history has been written by steam enthusiast Stephen Hubbock and published by Waterfront.

Published in November, shortly before the steam fair’s founder and director Michael Oliver MBE passed away, the book entitled Great Dorset Steam Fair 40 not out! is testament to his vision.

The Great Dorset Steam Fair is held in the first week of September in the village of Tarrant Hinton, near Blandford Forum, but this was not always the venue. Beginning in a yard in Shaftesbury, the site in Tarrant Hinton is some 600 acres in size and attracts steam enthusiasts from all over the country.

What is so interesting about Stephen Hubbock’s book is how he charts the transition from these humble beginnings talking about some of the people that were involved in making the event an annual one. Full of both mono and colour photographs, it is a book for all lovers of steam engines everywhere, young and old.

At Michael Oliver’s funeral on December 15, steam enthusiasts from across the country lined the tiny village of Child Okeford in Dorset to pay their respects. It was highly fitting that the funeral cortege was led by his favourite traction engine accompanied by his favourite fairground organ, steam powered of course.

Next year’s steam fair runs from September 1 to 5.

Great Dorset Steam Fair 40 not out! is available from Cross Keys Bookshop in Salisbury.