Artist recreates Wakefield's chestnut man Allan Jones' life on the fairground

Allan has stood with this barrow near Wakefield Cathedral for years, selling hot chestnuts in winter and toys and sweets in the summer months.

And now, the former fairground man features in a painting created by Kirkhamgate artist, Julie Dawson Gledhill.

Julie, a retired secondary school art and design technology teacher, said she was asked by Allan to recreate his life on the fairground in one of her paintings and she was more than happy to oblige.

Julie, 66, said: "Allan is from a fairground family and has owned many rides over the years.

"Because I paint fairground themes as a hobby, Allan asked me to capture his life in a painting.

"The painting is acrylic on canvas and depicts Allan's life from his days on the fairgrounds and to now as the famous chestnut man of Wakefield.

“The guy at the front centre is a friend of his from days gone by and his dogs. His current one is named Albert.

Allan said he is very happy with the painting, particularly his early fairground rides and the portrait of his mother standing at the coconut shy.

“I particularly liked the painting of my mother. She was in her 80s when a photograph was taken of her at the coconut shy and she passed away a few weeks later."The car at the left hand side of the painting was my Mazda x5 with a private plate.

"The painting is a reminder of the stall and rides I used to travel around with – and also my faithful dogs."