History of the Car Boot in England
The history & raison d’etre of car boot events in the United Kingdom.
The car boot is said to have been created in England by Father Clarke, a catholic priest, who introduced the idea in the 1970’s after visiting a similar event in Canada, creating a charity fund raiser.
The first commercial car boot is purported to have been held in the south east of England, at Nepicar Farm, Kent, in September 1980. This included circa two hundred stalls with an attendance of more than two thousand people, naturally it was held in conditions of inclement weather.
Since then car boot has grown from a niche into an industry with car boot events held throughout the UK from summer to winter. Some events attract goers in their thousands. Gradually this passion has started to spread to Europe.
Car boot events are typically held as a ‘used’ event run by private individuals or set up as charity events. These are also differentiated from 'Flea Markets'.
Many of the larger car boot events have become a purely financial affair with both pitch costs and entry fees rising. The benefit of the smaller car boot events is they tend to be for local benefit and offer an altogether more social experience which, as humans, many gravitate towards.
History shows us such events & markets have always been successful because people need to trade and barter as well as social interaction.
With any dip in the national economy the size and volume of car boot events tends to increase and although seen by many as a place to look for used junk and detritus this is almost never the case as there are some fabulous finds to be discovered in even the most humble car boot.
The car boot may be better defined as practical, efficient recycling. Many car boots offer a plethora of goods for home, making life more financially viable for those in lower income brackets. Car Boots are also fun with haggling, negotiating and arguing for a better price typically done with a friendly spirit.
Traditionally car boots start early in the morning and run until early-mid afternoon however the trend does appear to be changing with more Sunday car boot events opening mid morning until early afternoon. Ironically these also tend to provide better facilities, with some building reputations for quality food and drink.
The largest car boot events now cater for more than 2000 sellers, tending to be located on the periphery of London and in England’s beautiful counties, typically set in large open fields with access to main roads & motorways.
If you travel as a family, especially with young children, it is worth researching a car boot event before you visit. Check opening times & dates as well as the services offered and safety reputation. Car boot events are very popular & there plenty to choose from.
The car boot industry generates more than £1.5BN pa, this equates to an estimated spend of £110.00 per capita. Car boot events have become part of the British social calendar affecting millions of lives in the UK, providing social and financial benefits helping people to maintain their existence.
Some car boot events charge for entry. Originally this was to allow the funding of services for the buyers & sellers however often this is now a source of profit for operators.
As part of this practise some operators do not allow re-entry; this means if you buy something then realise it is faulty it may not be possible to gain entry to return the product(s), and one should be aware of this before choosing a car boot to visit.
Warranty on goods tends to be a rarity at car boot events & often there is little opportunity to test goods however all sellers must to comply with the Trade Descriptions Act
Finding a car boot event is made easier with social media sites such as Facebook providing information on numerous car boot events throughout the UK:
Running a good car boot event is about organisation, management and dedication with realistic & compliant Terms & Conditions, fortunately these efforts have paid off for us as Kentish Town Car Boot has received multiple accolades during 2023 as well as being ranked in the top 20% of ‘Things to do in London’ by TripAdvisor.
We hope the above is of interest and has perhaps wetted your appetite to visit one of England's car boot events.
This article was researched and written by Sharon Steele & Paul Miller. Should you feel you have additional data that may improve this article then please contact us by email.
The car boot is said to have been created in England by Father Clarke, a catholic priest, who introduced the idea in the 1970’s after visiting a similar event in Canada, creating a charity fund raiser.
The first commercial car boot is purported to have been held in the south east of England, at Nepicar Farm, Kent, in September 1980. This included circa two hundred stalls with an attendance of more than two thousand people, naturally it was held in conditions of inclement weather.
Since then car boot has grown from a niche into an industry with car boot events held throughout the UK from summer to winter. Some events attract goers in their thousands. Gradually this passion has started to spread to Europe.
Car boot events are typically held as a ‘used’ event run by private individuals or set up as charity events. These are also differentiated from 'Flea Markets'.
Many of the larger car boot events have become a purely financial affair with both pitch costs and entry fees rising. The benefit of the smaller car boot events is they tend to be for local benefit and offer an altogether more social experience which, as humans, many gravitate towards.
History shows us such events & markets have always been successful because people need to trade and barter as well as social interaction.
With any dip in the national economy the size and volume of car boot events tends to increase and although seen by many as a place to look for used junk and detritus this is almost never the case as there are some fabulous finds to be discovered in even the most humble car boot.
The car boot may be better defined as practical, efficient recycling. Many car boots offer a plethora of goods for home, making life more financially viable for those in lower income brackets. Car Boots are also fun with haggling, negotiating and arguing for a better price typically done with a friendly spirit.
Traditionally car boots start early in the morning and run until early-mid afternoon however the trend does appear to be changing with more Sunday car boot events opening mid morning until early afternoon. Ironically these also tend to provide better facilities, with some building reputations for quality food and drink.
The largest car boot events now cater for more than 2000 sellers, tending to be located on the periphery of London and in England’s beautiful counties, typically set in large open fields with access to main roads & motorways.
If you travel as a family, especially with young children, it is worth researching a car boot event before you visit. Check opening times & dates as well as the services offered and safety reputation. Car boot events are very popular & there plenty to choose from.
The car boot industry generates more than £1.5BN pa, this equates to an estimated spend of £110.00 per capita. Car boot events have become part of the British social calendar affecting millions of lives in the UK, providing social and financial benefits helping people to maintain their existence.
Some car boot events charge for entry. Originally this was to allow the funding of services for the buyers & sellers however often this is now a source of profit for operators.
As part of this practise some operators do not allow re-entry; this means if you buy something then realise it is faulty it may not be possible to gain entry to return the product(s), and one should be aware of this before choosing a car boot to visit.
Warranty on goods tends to be a rarity at car boot events & often there is little opportunity to test goods however all sellers must to comply with the Trade Descriptions Act
Finding a car boot event is made easier with social media sites such as Facebook providing information on numerous car boot events throughout the UK:
- Car Boot Sale Finder 162,900+ members
- Car Boot Sales & Markets All Over the UK 11,700+ members
- Car Boot Sales UK 7,900+ members
- Car Boot Sale Info 6,100+ members
Running a good car boot event is about organisation, management and dedication with realistic & compliant Terms & Conditions, fortunately these efforts have paid off for us as Kentish Town Car Boot has received multiple accolades during 2023 as well as being ranked in the top 20% of ‘Things to do in London’ by TripAdvisor.
We hope the above is of interest and has perhaps wetted your appetite to visit one of England's car boot events.
This article was researched and written by Sharon Steele & Paul Miller. Should you feel you have additional data that may improve this article then please contact us by email.
Kentish Town Car Boot welcomes you to the best community car boot in London
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Sharon Steele T/A Kentish Town Car Boot
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