Thousands of people took a trip back in time to explore the history of gypsy culture on Saturday.

Fortune-tellers, Romany singers and horse-drawn carriages were just some of the attractions at Norwood Park.

Andrea Perry, from Friends of Norwood Park, said: "It was extremely successful. It was a great chance to bring together the history of the gypsies with more current things."

The park, which is now in its centenary year, was once home to the queen of the gypsies – Margaret Finch.

According to historians, Ms Finch told the fortunes of literary talents such as Dr Johnson and Samuel Pepys in the late 1600s. She is believed to have died at the age of 108 and has had nearby Finch Avenue named after her.

Chairman of the Clearwater Gypsies Greg Yates, who co-ordinated the event, said: "We celebrate the lives of the gypsies and travellers and take away the often negative stereotypes in the press.

"We are the most persecuted and most vilified of all ethnic groups, but we are also one of the oldest."