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.The Royal Show
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:
YearTown/CityVenue1839Oxford1840 Cambridge1841 LiverpoolFalkner's Fields1842Bristol1843 Derby1844 Southampton1845 Shrewsbury1846 Newcastle1847 Northampton1848 York1849 Norwich1850 ExeterExhibition Fields, Whipton Barton 1851 Windsor1852 Lewes1853 Gloucester 1854 Lincoln 1855 Carlisle 1856 Chelmsford1857 Salisbury1858 Chester1859 WarwickWarwick Racecourse1860 Canterbury1861 Leeds1862 London Battersea1863 Worcester1864 Newcastle1865 Plymouth1866 Cancelled due to an outbreak of Rinderpest1867 Bury St Edmunds1868 Leicester1869 Manchester1870 OxfordGlasgow1871 CardiffWolverhamptonWolverhampton Race Course1872 Cardiff1873 Hull1874 Bedford1875 Taunton 1876 BirminghamAston Park1877LiverpoolNewsham Park1878 Bristol1879 LondonQueen's Park1880 Carlisle1881 Derby1882ReadingPalmer Park1883 York1884 Shrewsbury1885 Preston1886 Norwich1887 Newcastle1888 NottinghamWollaton Park1889 WindsorGreat Park1890 Plymouth1891 Doncaster1892 WarwickCastle Park1893 Chester1894 Cambridge1895 Darlington1896 Leicester1897 Manchester1898 BirminghamFour Oaks Park, Sutton Coldfield1899 Maidstone1900 York1901 CardiffSophia Gardens1902 Carlisle
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 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.
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.
Back on the road from 1906 to 1962 YearTown/CityVenue1906 DerbyOsmaston Park1907 LincolnWest Common1908 Newcastle1909 Gloucester1910 LiverpoolWavertree Playground1911 NorwichCrown Point1912 Doncaster1913 Bristol1914 Shrewsbury1915 NottinghamWollaton Park1916 Manchester1917 No show1918 No show1919 CardiffSophia Gardens1920 Darlington1921 DerbyOsmaston Park1922 CambridgeTrumpington1923 Newcastle1924 Leicester1925 Chester1926 ReadingCaversham Park (later Henley Road Cemetery)1927 NewportTredegar Park1928 NottinghamWollaton Park1931 WarwickCastle Park1934IpswichChantry Park1936 BristolAshton Court1937WolverhamptonWrottesley Park1938 Cardiff1939 Windsor1947LincolnWest Common1948YorkYork Racecourse1949Shrewsbury1950Oxford1951 CambridgeTrumpington1952Newton Abbot1953Blackpool1954Windsor1955NottinghamWollaton Park1956NewcastleTown Moor1957NorwichRoyal Norfolk Showground, Costessey1958Bristol1959Oxford1960CambridgeTrumpington1961CambridgeTrumpington1962NewcastleTown Moor
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.
The 2007 show More than 140,000 visitors were expected to attend the 2007 show;Royal Show 2007 - event report - 29/06/2007 - FarmersWeekly however, bad weather forced the show to close early for the first time in its history.Wet weather forces Royal Show to abandon final day - 03/07/2007 - FarmersWeekly 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 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.
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.End of an era for Royal Show
The Agricultural Buildings Show has taken over in part from the Royal Show at Stoneleigh Park.
See also Royal Welsh Show largest agricultural show in Europe Agricultural show Royal Windsor Horse Show
References
External links
Official website Royal Show 2007 Event Report