Royal Show

The Royal Show, also known as the Royal Agricultural Show, was an annual agricultural show held by the Royal Agricultural Society of England every year from 1839 to 2009. The event encompassed all aspects of farming, food and rural life - from the best of British livestock to the latest business and technological innovations in the farming industry. Over 1,000 stands, world-class livestock and equine classes attracted visitors from over 100 countries.[1]

This article is about the agricultural show most recently held in Warwickshire, England. For agricultural shows generally, including other shows known as a "Royal Show", see Agricultural show.

Logo of the last Royal Show in 2009

The Royal Show gave the name Park Royal to the part of west London which once hosted the show. The Royal Agricultural Society of England had planned to make the site a permanent home for the Royal Show. It was not a success and the Society sold the land in 1907.

History

On the road from 1839 to 1902

Between 1839 and 1902 the Royal Show was held at various locations across the country:[2][3]

Year Town/City Venue Rf.
1839 Oxford [3]
1840 Cambridge [3]
1841 Liverpool Falkner's Fields [2][3]
1842 Bristol [3]
1843 Derby [2]
1844 Southampton [2]
1845 Shrewsbury [2]
1846 Newcastle [2]
1847 Northampton [2]
1848 York [2]
1849 Norwich [2]
1850 Exeter Exhibition Fields, Whipton Barton[4] [2]
1851 Windsor [2]
1852 Lewes [2]
1853 Gloucester [2]
1854 Lincoln [2]
1855 Carlisle [2]
1856 Chelmsford [2]
1857 Salisbury [2]
1858 Chester [2]
1859 Warwick Warwick Racecourse [2]
1860 Canterbury [2]
1861 Leeds [2]
1862 London Battersea [2]
1863 Worcester [2]
1864 Newcastle [2]
1865 Plymouth [2]
1866 Cancelled due of an outbreak of Rinderpest [3]
1867 Bury St Edmunds [2]
1868 Leicester [2]
1869 Manchester [2]
1870 Oxford [2][3]
Glasgow [3]
1871 Cardiff [3]
Wolverhampton Wolverhampton Race Course [2][3][5]
1872 Cardiff [2]
1873 Hull [2]
1874 Bedford [2]
1875 Taunton [2]
1876 Birmingham Aston Park [2]
1877 Liverpool Newsham Park [6]
1878 Bristol [3]
1879 London Queen's Park [3][7]
1880 Carlisle [3]
1881 Derby [3]
1882 Reading Palmer Park [8]
1883 York [3]
1884 Shrewsbury [3]
1885 Preston [3]
1886 Norwich [3]
1887 Newcastle [3]
1888 Nottingham Wollaton Park [3]
1889 Windsor [3]
1890 Plymouth [3]
1891 Doncaster [3]
1892 Warwick Castle Park [3]
1893 Chester [3]
1894 Cambridge [3]
1895 Darlington [3]
1896 Leicester [3]
1897 Manchester [3]
1898 Birmingham Four Oaks Park, Sutton Coldfield [3]
1899 Maidstone [3]
1900 York [3]
1901 Cardiff Sophia Gardens [3][9]
1902 Carlisle [3]

Park Royal from 1903 to 1905

Following the 1879 event at Queen's Park, which incurred a large financial loss due to bad weather, the Royal Agricultural Society made the decision to look for a permanent showground, in order to reduce costs and make additional income from letting the site for other events. Eventually a 102 acres (41 ha) site was leased near Twyford Abbey in West London, and given the name Park Royal by the society, a name it continues to bear. The first show was held on the site in 1903.[10]

The attendances at the 1903 show were disappointing, and even worse at the shows in the two following years. By then it was decided that the idea of a permanent show had been a mistake, and that the travelling show should resume. The show grounds were sold for industrial use in 1907.[10]

Back on the road from 1906 to 1962
Year Town/City Venue Rf.
1906 Derby Osmaston Park [3]
1907 Lincoln West Common [3]
1908 Newcastle [3]
1909 Gloucester [3]
1910 Liverpool Wavertree Playground [3]
1911 Norwich Crown Point [3]
1912 Doncaster [3]
1913 Bristol [3]
1914 Shrewsbury [3]
1915 Nottingham Wollaton Park [11]
1916 Manchester [3]
1917 No show [3]
1918 No show [3]
1919 Cardiff Sophia Gardens [3]
1920 Darlington [3]
1921 Derby Osmaston Park [3]
1922 Cambridge Trumpington [3]
1923 Newcastle [3]
1924 Leicester [3]
1925 Chester [3]
1926 Reading Caversham Park (later Henley Road Cemetery) [3][12]
1927 Newport Tredegar Park [3]
1928 Nottingham Wollaton Park [3]
1931 Warwick Castle Park [3]
1934 Ipswich Chantry Park [13]
1936 Bristol Ashton Court [3]
1937 Wolverhampton Wrottesley Park [5][14]
1938 Cardiff [3]
1939 Windsor [3]
1947 Lincoln West Common [3]
1948 York York Racecourse [3]
1949 Shrewsbury [3]
1950 Oxford [3]
1951 Cambridge Trumpington [3]
1952 Newton Abbot [3]
1953 Blackpool [3]
1954 Windsor [3]
1955 Nottingham Wollaton Park [15]
1956 Newcastle Town Moor [3]
1957 Norwich Royal Norfolk Showground, Costessey [3]
1958 Bristol [3]
1959 Oxford [3]
1960 Cambridge Trumpington [3]
1961 Cambridge Trumpington [3]
1962 Newcastle Town Moor [3]

Stoneleigh Park from 1963 to 2006

From 1963, the Royal Show was held in Stoneleigh Park (previously known as the National Agricultural Centre or NAC) near Stoneleigh in Warwickshire, England. The first show at Stoneleigh lasted four days and attracted 111,916 visitors.[16]

The 2007 show

More than 140,000 visitors were expected to attend the 2007 show;[17] however, bad weather forced the show to close early for the first time in its history.[18] Torrential rains left the showground saturated and police and show organisers took the decision to close the show a day ahead of schedule "to ensure the safety and welfare of the public, traders and exhibitors".

Two of the showground's car parks were closed on Monday evening after drivers had to be towed free. A further 30 acres (12 ha) of barley and hay fields were mown to provide additional parking on the Tuesday.

The decision was described as "heartbreaking" by the Royal Agricultural Society of England. John Moverley, RASE Chief Executive, said the financial implications of the wet weather and closing the show early were being assessed. "We haven’t got exact figures, but it looks as though we are down by about 10% for the first two days on last year," he said.[18]

The end

The Royal Show was again run at Stoneleigh in 2008. However, on 3 April 2009, organisers said the 2009 show would be the last.[16][19]

The Agricultural Buildings Show has taken over in part from the Royal Show at Stoneleigh Park.

See also

References
  1. The Royal Show
  2. Miskell, Louise. "Putting on a show: the Royal Agricultural Society of England and the Victorian town, c.1840–1876" (PDF). British Agricultural History Society. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  3. "Royal Agricultural Shows". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  4. "Royal Agricultural Society: Twelfth Annual meeting and exhibition". Morning Post. 16 July 1850.
  5. "Prizewinning sheep's wool, Royal Show, Wrottesley Park". Staffordshire Past Track. Staffordshire County Council. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  6. "The Royal Agricultural Show at Liverpool". Wrexham Guardian. 14 July 1877. Retrieved 9 January 2021 – via National Library of Wales.
  7. "Queen's Park". Brent Heritage. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  8. "1882 Royal Agricultural Show". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 9 January 2021.
  9. "Sophia Gardens Field". Retrieved 8 April 2021.
  10. "Royal Agricultural Society Show". Brent Heritage. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  11. "1915 Royal Agricultural Show". Grace's Guide. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  12. "The Royal Show at Reading". Commercial Motor. 6 July 1926. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  13. Catchpole, Cyril. "film of 1934 Royal Agricultural Show". British Film Institute. Archived from the original on 17 January 2016. Retrieved 29 December 2015.
  14. Sharman, Frank. "Exhibitions Great and Small". Wolverhampton History and Heritage Website. Archived from the original on 7 March 2012. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  15. Catlow, Claire (20 November 2017). "In pictures: The Queen in Nottingham in the 1940s and 50s". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 11 January 2021.
  16. "The Big Question: What is the Royal Show, and why is it coming to an end after 170 years?". The Independent. London. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  17. Royal Show 2007 - event report - 29/06/2007 - FarmersWeekly
  18. Wet weather forces Royal Show to abandon final day - 03/07/2007 - FarmersWeekly
  19. End of an era for Royal Show
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