Mid-Somerset Show

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Judging at the 153rd Mid-Somerset Show Judging MidSomerset 210805.jpg
Judging at the 153rd Mid-Somerset Show
The cheese tent at the 2003 show MidSomerset Show 170803.jpg
The cheese tent at the 2003 show
Alpacas at the 2005 show Alpaca MidSomerset 210805.jpg
Alpacas at the 2005 show

The Mid-Somerset Show, also known as Shepton Show, is a one-day agricultural show held annually in August on a site at Shepton Mallet, Somerset, England. Founded over 150 years ago, the show displays and celebrates agriculture and livestock rearing, crafts and hobbies, local heritage and farming history. Competitions are held for animals, produce and handicrafts in a wide range of classes. Other attractions include trade stands, craft demonstrations and amusements. [1]

Agricultural show public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry

An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show, a trade fair, competitions, and entertainment. The work and practices of farmers, animal fanciers, cowboys, and zoologists may be displayed. The terms agricultural show and livestock show are synonymous with the North American terms county fair and state fair.

Shepton Mallet small town in Somerset, England

Shepton Mallet is an English town and civil parish in the Mendip District of Somerset, about 18 miles (29 km) south of Bristol and 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Wells. The town has an estimated population of 10,369. It houses the headquarters of Mendip District Council. The Mendip Hills lie to the north. The River Sheppey runs through the town, as does the route of the Fosse Way, the main Roman road into south-west England. There is evidence of Roman settlement. It contains a medieval parish church and many other listed buildings. Shepton Mallet Prison was England's oldest until its closure in March 2013. The wool trade, important in the medieval economy, was replaced by industries such as brewing in the 18th century. The town remains a prominent producer of cider. Shepton Mallet is the closest town to the Glastonbury Festival. Also nearby is the Royal Bath and West of England Society show ground.

Somerset County of England

Somerset is a county in South West England which borders Gloucestershire and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east, Dorset to the south-east and Devon to the south-west. It is bounded to the north and west by the Severn Estuary and the Bristol Channel, its coastline facing southeastern Wales. Its traditional border with Gloucestershire is the River Avon. Somerset's county town is Taunton.

Contents

History

The show began life as a ploughing match between local farmers organised by the Evercreech Farmers Club but by the 1870s this had metamorphosed into a cattle show, [2] appropriate given the dairy farming in the region. Separate classes existed for horses, and for cheese and butter-making. The show championed agricultural improvement and the increased saleability of two local products, Cheddar cheese and cider. Despite breaks for two World Wars, the show thrived. After the centenary year in 1952 the show gradually lost importance as older trades died and farming and food production became more industrialised. A rekindling of interest in rural life and a backlash against intensive agriculture have been suggested to explain the recent recovery of the show's fortunes, despite the competition of larger regional shows such as the Bath and West show held only 3 km (1.9 mi) away. It seems more popular than previously in the local community. [2] Since 2002 there has been no admission fee to the show although charges are made for competition entries.

Plough tool or farm implement

A plough (UK) or plow is a tool or farm implement used in farming for initial cultivation of soil in preparation for sowing seed or planting to loosen or turn the soil. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by working animals such as oxen and horses, but in modern times are mostly drawn by tractors. A plough may be made of wood, iron, or steel frame with an attached blade or stick used to cut the soil and loosen it. It has been a basic instrument for most of recorded history, although despite archeological evidence for its use written references to the plough do not appear in the English language before c. 1100, after which point it is referenced frequently. The plough represents one of the major agricultural inventions in human history. The earliest ploughs were wheelless, and the Romans used a wheelless plough called the aratrum, but Celtic peoples began using wheeled ploughs during the Roman era.

Evercreech village and parish in Somerset, England

Evercreech is a village and civil parish 3 miles (4.8 km) south east of Shepton Mallet, and 5 miles (8.0 km) north east of Castle Cary, in the Mendip district of Somerset, England. The parish includes the hamlet of Stoney Stratton and the village of Chesterblade.

Dairy farming class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise

Dairy farming is a class of agriculture for long-term production of milk, which is processed for eventual sale of a dairy product.

The show today

The 153rd show in August 2005 attracted a record (estimated) 15,000 people. Competition classes were held in

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Cheddar cheese Type of relatively hard, off-white or orange English cheese

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Shepton Mallet (Charlton Road) railway station

Shepton Mallet was a station on the Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway in the county of Somerset in England. Opened as Shepton Mallet on 20 July 1874, it was renamed to avoid confusion with the nearby GWR station in 1883. The station consisted of two platforms with the station building on the up side. There was also a goods yard and cattle dock controlled from a signal box.

The Anglo-Bavarian Brewery was originally established in Shepton Mallet in Somerset, England in 1864. It has been claimed as the first lager brewery in the United Kingdom, although the claim is disputed. It closed in 1920. The building, now the Anglo Trading Estate, is a grade II* listed building and is on English Heritage's Heritage at Risk Register, and Mendip District Council's Historic Buildings at Risk Register.

Royal Bath and West Show

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Pembrokeshire has been called "the cottage garden of Wales", due to its good soil and the beneficial effects of the Gulf Stream, which provide a mild climate and a longer growing season than other parts of the country. The good climate and soil meant that the south of the peninsula was coveted by the Norsemen and Normans because it had "great plentie" of corn and cattle The county has prime agricultural land, much of which is located at about 70m above sea level, while to the north, the Preseli Hills rise to 500m above sea level and form uplands that are made up of heather and bracken, which are used for grazing sheep. Consequently, Pembrokeshire is classed as one of the most fertile counties in Wales, with its 392,300 agricultural acres having 14% of its land classed as of good quality, 67% being classed as medium quality and 19% being classed as poor quality. However, agricultural production is subject to market forces and, in the 1890s, a deep agricultural depression led to the area under cultivation falling by a third. Many labourers and farmers had no option but to emigrate to the New World and many of the large farming estates were sold. World War I brought prosperity again, but by the 1930s another depression set-in and lasted until World War II. During the Post-war period agriculture has benefited from marketing schemes and marketing boards, which have helped in the regulation, marketing and distribution of the county's agricultural production.

References

  1. "Mid Somerset Show". Mendip District Council. Archived from the original on 11 June 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2009.
  2. 1 2 "History". Mid Somerset Show. Archived from the original on 17 July 2011. Retrieved 4 July 2009.

Coordinates: 51°11′05″N2°32′44″W / 51.184757°N 2.545438°W / 51.184757; -2.545438

Geographic coordinate system Coordinate system

A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are often chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position and two or three of the numbers represent a horizontal position; alternatively, a geographic position may be expressed in a combined three-dimensional Cartesian vector. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation. To specify a location on a plane requires a map projection.