Lustleigh Show

Last updated
The Lustleigh Show
Lustleigh Show logo.png
StatusOngoing
Location(s) Lustleigh, Devon
Inaugurated1887
Participants4,000 - 5,000
Website thelustleighshow.com

The Lustleigh Show is an annual country show held in the village of Lustleigh, Devon, England. The show takes place on the August Bank Holiday Monday every year, and has been running since 1887. The show typically attracts upwards of 4,000 visitors, to a village with a population under 700. The show features traditional country fete activities including a horticultural show, dog show, bowling for a pig, and displays in the main ring.

Contents

History

The first record of the show is in 1887, named as the Lustleigh Cottage Garden Show, and featuring a horticultural exhibition and contest, as well as a fête organised in conjunction with the Rational Sick and Burial Association. [1] The first show had a 100 feet (30 m) long marquee in the field adjacent to the railway station and cricket field. The Bovey Tracey Brass Band played, including a procession from the field to the church for a service. [2] Prizes to the value of £20 were offered for winners in the horticultural show. [3]

By 1889, sports competitions had been added to the programme, with prizes to the value of £5 advertised. [4]

In 1900, the show suffered its first 'wash out', with stormy weather causing the collapse of the horticultural tent, [5] killing several of the chickens on display [6] but the following year in 1901, the show reported over 500 exhibits being entered in the horticultural show. [7] The destruction of the tent was written about by local diarist Cecil Torr in his Small Talk at Wreyland, who also noted that there were rabbits on display. [8]

By 1912, the show also noted the inclusion of maypole dancing alongside sports such as hurdles, high jump, long jump, potato picking, bowling for a pig and tilting the bucket. [9]

The show moved to the fields at Kelly Farm in 1947, [10] during which year over 921 people attended the show, despite heavy rainfall on the previous day requiring drainage works to the field entrance. [11] This show also notes the presence of a well supported gymkhana.

The 1948 show was titled as the "second annual flower show and gymkhana" and ran alongside a goat show organised by the South-Western Counties Goat Society. [12] The goat show was a fixture over several decades, including through the 1950s, [13] 1960s, [14] 1970s, [15] 1980s, [16] and 1990s, [17] with the last mention being in 1995. [18]

When the August Bank Holiday Monday was moved from the start to the end of August by Edward Heath in 1965, [19] [20] [21] the show moved with it, and stayed on the bank holiday Monday.

Show schedule

As well as the foundational horticultural exhibition, the show currently has a range of attractions, including traditional fairground games, music, sheaf tossing, and a dog show. [22] [23]

Displays in the main ring change annually, but include activities such as falconry, stunt shows, heavy horses, and children's races. [22] [24]

The show has had flypast displays by the Red Arrows [24] and Battle of Britain Memorial Flight. [25]

Lustleigh 10k

The show also hosts the Lustleigh 10k run, which is a challenging multi-terrain run over a 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) course around the village, starting and finishing in the show field. [22] [23]

Organisation

The Lustleigh horticultural society organised the show until 1990, when it was taken over by a dedicated committee.

Surplus funds raised from the show are spent in the village on numerous community projects and good causes. [22] Thus far more than £15,000 has been reinvested in the village.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devon</span> County of England

Devon is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west. The city of Plymouth is the largest settlement, and the city of Exeter is the county town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paignton</span> Seaside town in Devon, England

Paignton is a seaside town on the coast of Tor Bay in Devon, England. Together with Torquay and Brixham it forms the borough of Torbay which was created in 1968. The Torbay area is a holiday destination known as the English Riviera. Paignton has origins as a Celtic settlement and was first mentioned in 1086. It grew as a small fishing village and a new harbour was built in 1847. A railway line was opened to passengers in 1859 creating links to Torquay and London. As its population increased, it merged with the villages of Goodrington and Preston. Paignton is around 25 miles (40 km) north east of Plymouth and 20 miles (32 km) south of Exeter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moretonhampstead</span> Town in Devon, England

Moretonhampstead is a market town, parish and ancient manor in Devon, situated on the north-eastern edge of Dartmoor, within the Dartmoor National Park. The parish now includes the hamlet of Doccombe, and it is surrounded clockwise from the north by the parishes of Drewsteignton, Dunsford, Bridford, Bovey Tracey, Lustleigh, North Bovey and Chagford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teignbridge</span> Non-metropolitan district in England

Teignbridge is a local government district in Devon, England. Its council is based in the town of Newton Abbot. The district also includes the towns of Ashburton, Buckfastleigh, Dawlish, Kingsteignton and Teignmouth, along with numerous villages and surrounding rural areas. Teignbridge contains part of the south Devon coastline, including the Dawlish Warren National Nature Reserve. Some of the inland western parts of the district lie within the Dartmoor National Park. It is named after the old Teignbridge hundred.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BBC Radio Devon</span> Radio station in Plymouth

BBC Radio Devon is the BBC's local radio station serving the county of Devon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lustleigh</span> Village in Devon, England

Lustleigh is a small village and civil parish in the Wray Valley, inside the Dartmoor National Park in Devon, England. It is between the towns of Bovey Tracey and Moretonhampstead. The village has often been named in various publications as being amongst the best or prettiest villages in the country, particularly due to the traditional thatched buildings in the village centre, and local activities such as the Lustleigh Show. That has also led to it being noted as the most expensive rural location in which to buy a house.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Berry Pomeroy</span> Village in Devon, England

Berry Pomeroy is a village and civil parish in the South Hams district of Devon, England, 2 miles (3 km) east of the town of Totnes. The parish is surrounded clockwise from the north by the parishes of Ipplepen, Marldon, Torbay, Stoke Gabriel, Ashprington, Totnes, and Littlehempston. In 2001 its population was 973, down from 1193 in 1901. The main road access is via the A385 road between Paignton and Totnes that runs through the parish, south of the village.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingsteignton</span> Town in Devon, England

Kingsteignton, is a town and civil parish in south Devon, England. It lies at the head of the Teign Estuary to the west of Teignmouth in the Teignbridge district. It is bypassed by the A380 and is also on the A383, A381, B3193 and B3195. Kingsteignton is currently represented in Parliament by Martin Wrigley, as part of the Newton Abbot constituency. Local schools include: Rydon Primary School, Teign School, Kingsteignton school and Saint Michael's Church of England School.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paignton Zoo</span> Zoo in Devon, England

Paignton Zoo is a zoo in Paignton, Devon, England. The zoo was started as a private collection by avid animal collector and breeder, Herbert Whitley, in the grounds of his home Primley House. It was opened to the public on a number of occasions, originally as Primley Zoological Gardens, and closed twice due to disputes with the tax authorities. The commercialisation of the zoo came when animals and attractions were relocated from Chessington Zoo during World War II, and the site was named as Devon's Zoo and Circus

The North Devon Railway connected Barnstaple to the growing railway network in 1854 and as Ilfracombe developed as a watering place, it was obvious a railway connection to the town was needed. The hilly terrain was very difficult, but an Ilfracombe Railway was authorised in 1864 but failed when a major shareholder was unable to respond to a subscription call. After several false starts the Barnstaple and Ilfracombe Railway, soon taken over by the London and South Western Railway, opened in 1870.

The Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway was a 7 ft 1⁄4 in broad gauge railway which linked the South Devon Railway at Newton Abbot railway station with Bovey, Lustleigh and Moretonhampstead, Devon, England.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital</span> Hospital in England

The Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, and with a main site sometimes known as Wonford Hospital, is a large teaching hospital situated in Exeter, Devon, England, and is run by the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lustleigh railway station</span> Disused railway station in Devon, England

Lustleigh station was a stop on the Moretonhampstead and South Devon Railway; it served the village of Lustleigh, in Devon, England.

The Herald Express is a local newspaper covering the Torbay area of the United Kingdom. It is published by Reach plc. It serves a wide surrounding area of coastal and inland communities in South Devon, which attracts millions of tourists each year to swell its 100,000-plus resident population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Devon County Council</span> British administrative authority

Devon County Council is the county council administering the non-metropolitan county of Devon, England. The non-metropolitan county is smaller than the ceremonial county; the latter additionally includes Plymouth and Torbay. The population of the non-metropolitan county was estimated at 795,286 in 2018, making it the largest local authority in South West England. The council has been under Conservative majority control since 2009. It is based at County Hall in Exeter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A382 road</span> Road in Devon, England

The A382 is a road in South West England, connecting Newton Abbot to the A38, then to Bovey Tracey and on through Moretonhampstead to the A30.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kelly Mine, Devon</span> Preserved mine in Devon, England

Kelly Mine is a disused metalliferous mine situated on the eastern flank of Dartmoor near the village of Lustleigh in Devon, England. It was intermittently operational from the 1790s until 1951. It is one of some ten mines and two or three trials within the triangle formed by the towns of Bovey Tracey and Moretonhampstead and the village of Hennock, which worked deposits of micaceous haematite, known as "shiny ore". Since 1984 the mine has been the subject of a volunteer restoration project.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawkmoor Hospital</span> Hospital in England

Hawkmoor Hospital, originally known as Hawkmoor County Sanatorium, was a specialist hospital near Bovey Tracey in Devon, England, founded in 1913 as a pulmonary tuberculosis sanatorium as part of a network of such facilities, instigated by the Public Health 1912. From 1948, the hospital catered for patients with a range of chest ailments, as well as chest surgery, and mental disability patients. From 1973, the facility dealt solely with mental health problems until its closure in 1987.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cecil Torr</span>

Cecil Torr was a British antiquarian and author.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lustleigh May Day</span> Annual celebration in Lustleigh, Devon, United Kingdom

The Lustleigh May Day is an annual celebration in the village of Lustleigh, Devon. It involves the traditional maypole dancing, as well as the crowning of a May Queen from the eligible girls of the village. It is generally held on the first Saturday of May.

References

  1. ↑ "Lustleigh Cottage Garden Show". The Devon and Exeter Gazette. 5 August 1887.
  2. ↑ "Flower show at Lustleigh". The Devon Evening Express. 4 August 1887.
  3. ↑ "There will be a Cottage Garden Show at Lustleigh". Western Times. 15 July 1887.
  4. ↑ "Lustleigh Horticultural Society". Western Times. 12 July 1889.
  5. ↑ "Destruction at shows". Western Evening Herald. 7 August 1900.
  6. ↑ "Lustleigh Horticultural Show". Totnes Weekly Times. 11 August 1900.
  7. ↑ "Lustleigh Show". Western Times. 9 August 1901.
  8. ↑ "Small Talk of Wreyland". Sheffield Daily Telegraph. 18 October 1918.
  9. ↑ "Fete at Lustleigh". The Devon and Exeter Gazette. 29 May 1912.
  10. ↑ Lustleigh Show Programme 2017. Lustleigh Show. 2017.
  11. ↑ "Successes at Lustleigh Annual". Western Times. 8 August 1947.
  12. ↑ "Lustleigh Flower Show and Gymkhana". Devon and Exeter Gazette.
  13. ↑ "Mid-Devon's only goat show". Express and Echo. 7 August 1956.
  14. ↑ "Attendance records are smashed at the Lustleigh Show". Torbay Express. 4 August 1964.
  15. ↑ "Elegant lady of Lustleigh". Torbay Express. 29 August 1978.
  16. ↑ "Show pulls crowds". Torbay Express. 1 September 1987.
  17. ↑ "Village Show Packs 'Em In!". Torbay Express. 31 August 1990.
  18. ↑ "Lustleigh SHow". Torbay Express. 26 August 1995.
  19. ↑ "Bank Holiday On The Last Monday In August". The Times . 5 Mar 1964. Retrieved November 2, 2016.
  20. ↑ "New Date for August Bank Hoilday". Liverpool Echo. 4 March 1964. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  21. ↑ "August Bank Holiday". Herald Express. 30 December 1964.
  22. 1 2 3 4 "Picture Special: Lustleigh Show attracts near record breaking numbers". Mid-Devon Advertiser. 12 September 2023.
  23. 1 2 Kisielewski, Alex (6 September 2019). "The heat was on at the Lustleigh Show". The Moorlander.
  24. 1 2 Kisielewski, Alex (17 September 2017). "Red Hot Lustleigh Show". The Moorlander.
  25. ↑ Letcher, Lisa (29 August 2022). "RAF Lancaster bomber roars over Devon". DevonLive.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.