Ray Brooks, owner of Nottingham's famous cock-on-a-stick stall, dies

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 24 Oct, 16:32 · Archive

Ray Brooks, who ran the cock-on-a-stick stall at Nottingham's Goose Fair for over 70 years, has died aged 95.

Ray Brooks, who ran the legendary cock-on-a-stick stall at Nottingham's Goose Fair, has died aged 95. He died on Wednesday following a fall at his home. His son Robin Brooks said his father was "strong and sprightly" but suffered the fall in his garden before his condition worsened while in hospital.

Brooks took over the family business in 1950 after coming out of the RAF and became a familiar face at the fair for decades until his retirement in 2023. The tradition of making the cockerel-shaped treats was started by his grandfather Ben Whitehead in 1872, with the recipe passed down through the family. Brooks explained in 2019 that he made the colourful lollipops by hand at his home in St Ann's and had never missed a year.

His son described the stall as having given him and his father "lots of fun and lots of laughs". He recalled that in earlier times there had been four stalls at the fair, which eventually reduced to one. Tom Smith, who bought the stall in 2023, paid tribute to Brooks as a "Nottingham legend" and said the family's hearts go out to his family. Smith added that he was "truly thankful to carry on his legacy".

Ray Brooks, owner of Nottingham's famous cock-on-a-stick stall, dies — Image: Nottinghamshire Live

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How it is being reported

Goose Fair's historic cock on a stick man dies as tributes paid to 'Nottingham legend'Ray Brooks took over the family tradition in 1950 and was a familiar face at the fair until his retirement in 2023Nottinghamshire Live · 24 Oct, 15:54
Former owner of famous cock-on-a-stick stall diesRay Brooks, who worked at the stall for more than 70 years, has died aged 95.BBC Nottingham · 23 Oct, 13:19

In this story: Ray Brooks · Nottingham Goose Fair · Ben Whitehead · Tom Smith · Robin Brooks

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