Funfair Family Feud: Dad Accused of Breaking Son's Nose in £10m Inheritance Row
A bitter family feud over a £10 million funfair empire has erupted in London's High Court, with shocking allegations of physical violence and threats to destroy rides used at Hyde Park's prestigious Winter Wonderland event.
Violent Confrontations and Winter Wonderland Threats
The dramatic court case pits veteran showman Joseph Manning Senior against his two sons, Clayton Manning, 33, and Joseph Manning Junior, 43. The brothers claim their father headbutted Clayton, breaking his nose, and split Joseph Junior's brow open during a confrontation in July 2024.
Richard Power, barrister for the brothers' companies, alleged Joseph Senior threatened to destroy a carousel used at Winter Wonderland and attempted to set fire to key equipment destined for the Hyde Park event. The elderly showman was also accused of unlawfully entering the Winterland event at Bluewater in October 2025, removing locks and fence panels to set up unauthorized food stalls.
Inheritance Battle Over Family Empire
The conflict centers on control of the lucrative Manning family business, which includes Old MacDonald's Farm and Fun Park in Brentwood, Essex, and provides rides, attractions, and catering services for Winter Wonderland and other major events. The business empire traces its roots to a fairground peepshow operated by family ancestors in the 1850s.
The brothers claim they grew up believing they would inherit and run the entire family business, with their sisters pursuing different careers. They allege their parents have now turned against them and plan to disinherit them, despite the brothers using their own money to purchase equipment and Joseph Junior taking out a mortgage to help buy Old MacDonald's Farm in 2003.
Courtroom Allegations and Counterclaims
Joseph Senior's barrister, Tom Grant KC, denied all allegations of violence and harassment, claiming the sons were the "aggressors" in the July confrontation and that Clayton strangled his cancer-stricken father during the incident. The father maintains he attended the Winter Wonderland event on advice from the Showmen's Guild to protect his rights under guild rules.
The brothers' companies, Mannings Organisation Ltd and Mannings Amusements Ltd, sought an injunction barring Joseph Senior from harassing staff or interfering with operations. They claim he was ousted as director in September 2024 after the companies' shares were distributed as 33% to Joseph Junior, 33% to Clayton, and 34% to their father.
Brothers' Financial Claims and Legal Action
Joseph Junior says he received no wages until June 2022, when he was paid £2,000 monthly, while Clayton claims he received just £500 monthly from 2013. Both payments ceased abruptly in August 2024. The brothers are now suing for "proprietary estoppel" over alleged broken inheritance promises and seek a court ruling entitling them to shares in the farm business and other family assets.
Deputy Judge Andrew Kinnier KC has reserved his decision on whether to extend a temporary injunction granted in December that restrains Joseph Senior from intimidating company staff or entering Winterland or Winter Wonderland events except as a ticket-paying visitor. The father's barrister slammed the injunction application as an attempt to "engineer the circumstances where they can accomplish their desire to see their father put in prison."
