The three day Egremont Crab Fair was first held in 1267 and, as such, is one of the world’s oldest gatherings. It hosts a range of ancient and historical contests including horn blowing, horse and pony leaping, wrestling and the infamous greasy pole.
Despite the plethora of events and attractions, the fair’s main event has always unquestionably been the World Gurning Championships where flexibly-faced hopefuls take turns in shoving their faces through a horse collar and then attempt to pull the ugliest possible face. Winners are determined by the contestant whose contorted countenance brings the biggest cheers from the crowd.
Don’t be fooled, being ugly to start with is not a natural advantage. Gurning, or “the art of face pulling” as the sport’s most notable competitors refer to it, is all about the transformation from a pleasant looking human being into an eye-bulging, nostril-flaring, mouth-mangling monstrosity. Put it this way, if you’re ugly to start with, how will the crowd even notice when you start to gurn?
Gurning Hall of Fame
At this year's event, gurning’s premier superstar Tommy Mattinson once gain asserted his supremacy over the competitive gurning world. Nicknamed Quasimodo, the native Cumbrian emerged as Egremont’s top male gurner for the tenth time finishing ahead of gurning legends Ron Looney, Peter Jackman and Albert Henson.

Can you gurn? Enter the world’s first online gurning competition
But Tommy’s level of supremacy doesn’t even come close to that of gurning’s most famous female. Anne Woods has competed at the World Gurning Championships 29 times and has emerged victorious on a whopping 25 occasions.

Anne’s trademark gurn sees her remove her dentures before crumpling her face to such as extent that her upper jaw disappears, covered completely by her lower lip. Unlike Tommy, she’s yet to acquire a nickname although her dominance of female gurning makes her, in the nicest possible way, a contender for the title of world’s ugliest woman.