The Royal Cheshire County Show (simply referred to as 'Royal Cheshire County Show' and 'Royal Cheshire Show', and formerly Cheshire County Show) is a county agricultural show that is held on two days in June each year on land west of Flittogate Lane in the Tabley area in Cheshire, England. The show is organised by the Cheshire Agricultural Society, and marked its 175th anniversary in 2013 with 80,000 visitors expected. [1] In January 2016, it became The Royal Cheshire County Show. [2]
The Cheshire Agricultural Society was founded in 1838 by Stapleton Cotton, 1st Viscount Combermere and fellow Cheshire landowners, with the stated mission "To promote agriculture and encourage the industrious and moral habits of the labouring portion of the community." [3] The society organised exhibitions and competitions for farms to participate in. The Cheshire Show was first held at the Roodee in Chester in 1893. [3] It amalgamated with the Chester Show in 1904 and returned to the Roodee for the next 50 years.
The show had outgrown the Roodee by 1955, and relocated to Hooton Park near Ellesmere Port in the years that followed. [4] The show began to struggle by the 1970s, but was revived in mid-Cheshire in 1977 after three years of not being held. After several years at Tatton Park, the show moved to its current Tabley showground in 1990. [5]
In 2001, the show was cancelled for only the second time in its history due to the national outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease that affected nearby Little Leigh. 19 years later, the COVID-19 pandemic caused their third cancellation; though some events went virtual. [6]
The show attracts Royal involvement, with Princess Anne becoming the first Lady President of the show in 1999. [6] She reprised her role for the 2013 show, and visited the showground on the second day. [1]
Thousands of horses, dogs, cattle, sheep, goats, poultry, pigeons and rabbits are involved in competitions in hundreds of classes. [7] With more than 3500 horses taking part, it is the largest light horse section at any county show in the country. [5]
Local farm produce including cheeses, meats and homemade preserves are exhibited, with a farmers' market, Women's Institute marquee and floral displays. [6]
Other attractions include country pursuits such as falconry, ferreting and clay pigeon shooting as well as demonstrations of cookery and dry stone walling and a motorcycle display team. [8]
Notable attendees have included the botanist David Bellamy [7] and racehorse trainers Ginger McCain [5] and Jenny Pitman. [8]
The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair (RAWF), also known as the Royal, is an annual agricultural fair that is held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada during the first two weeks of November. It was inaugurated in 1922 in the Coliseum, on the grounds of Exhibition Place. It has since been expanded to also take up the Enercare Centre and remains an important exhibit for livestock breeders. Elizabeth II, as Queen of Canada, is the fair's royal patron. Members of the Canadian Royal Family have also been guests of honour at the fair. It is the largest indoor agricultural fair in the world.
The Great Yorkshire Show (GYS) is an agricultural show which takes place on the Great Yorkshire Showground in Harrogate, North Yorkshire in the North of England annually from the second Tuesday of July until the following Thursday. It is organised and run by the Yorkshire Agricultural Society (YAS). Since the demise of the Royal Show the GYS has been the largest agricultural show in England, however within the UK it is surpassed by both the Royal Welsh Show and the Royal Highland Show. The show is highly successful and the Society generated income of £9.6 million in 2016. A new Hall at the showground, costing £11 million, opened in 2016 and produced more than £1 million of income in its first year.
The Royal Adelaide Show is an annual agricultural show run by the Royal Agricultural and Horticultural Society of South Australia. It is held at the Adelaide Showground, a dedicated venue located in Wayville, a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia.
The Ekka is the annual agricultural show of Queensland, Australia. Its formal title is the Royal Queensland Show, and it is held at the Brisbane Showgrounds. It was originally called the Brisbane Exhibition, but it is more commonly known as the "Ekka", short for "exhibition". It is run by The Royal National Agricultural and Industrial Association of Queensland.
The Perth Royal Show is an annual agricultural show held in Perth, Western Australia at the Claremont Showground. It features informational exhibits, agricultural competitions and display animals, a fairground and rides, and showbags. It has been held for over 100 years and is organised by the Royal Agricultural Society of Western Australia. It is held during the spring school holidays, either the last week of September or the first week of October and at its peak, attracted attendance of around 460,000 people.
The Royal Melbourne Show is an agricultural show held at Melbourne Showgrounds every September. It is organised by the Royal Agricultural Society of Victoria and has been running since 1848. Each year Royal Melbourne Show attracts attendances of up to half a million people.
Acton is a small village and civil parish lying immediately west of the town of Nantwich in the unitary authority of Cheshire East and the ceremonial county of Cheshire, England. The civil parish covers 762 acres (3.08 km2) and also includes the small settlement of Dorfold and part of Burford, with an estimated population of 340 in 2006. It is administered jointly with the adjacent civil parishes of Henhull and Edleston. Historically, Acton refers to a township and also to an ancient parish in the Nantwich Hundred covering a wide area to the west of Nantwich. The area is agricultural, with dairy farming the main industry. Around a third of the area falls within the Dorfold Estate. Historically, agriculture was the major employer, but it has now been overtaken by the service industries, with many residents commuting significant distances outside the parish to work.
The Royal Welsh Show is organised by the Royal Welsh Agricultural Society, which was formed in 1904. It takes place in July of each year, at Llanelwedd, near Builth Wells, in Powys, Mid Wales.
The Royal Cornwall Agricultural Show, usually called the Royal Cornwall Show, is an agricultural show organised by the Royal Cornwall Agricultural Association, which takes place at the beginning of June each year, at Wadebridge in north Cornwall, England, United Kingdom. The showground is on the south side of the A39 main road and between the hamlets of St Breock and Whitecross. Members of the Royal family often attend at the Show, including Prince Charles who is a supporter of the farming community. Princess Alexandra attended the 2009 show. The show lasts for three days and attracts approximately 120,000 visitors annually.
The Royal Highland Show is Scotland's biggest annual Agricultural show. The show is organised by the Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland.
In the United Kingdom, a county show is a summer outdoor agricultural show. The events have competitions, with prizes awarded by judges, allowing farmers and breeders to show off their cattle or crops. There are many trade stands which offer the latest farming machinery, feeds, fertilisers and other farming products. Other trade stands and activities have been added to make the shows more attractive to locals and visitors. Often there are features such as showjumping, funfairs, falconry, military displays and food exhibitions.
Dorfold Hall is a Grade I listed Jacobean mansion in Acton, Cheshire, England, considered by Nikolaus Pevsner to be one of the two finest Jacobean houses in the county. The present owners are the Roundells.
Mirfield Show is an annual agricultural show held at the Huddersfield Road Showground in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, England on the third Sunday in August. It is organised and run by the Mirfield Agricultural Society (MAS) as a not-for-profit event and regularly attracts over 6,000 visitors each year from across Yorkshire.
The Royal Bath and West is an agricultural show for the West of England. Held every year at its permanent show ground near Shepton Mallet, Somerset, it is one of a number of County shows in the United Kingdom and is a four-day show. In 2009 and 2010 it attracted over 155,000 people.
The Kent County Show is an event hosted annually by the Kent County Agricultural Society at their Kent Showground headquarters at Detling near Maidstone in Kent, England. The event is primarily an agricultural show, showcasing the produce of Kent farmers such as soft fruit, alongside a livestock show and various other attractions such as demonstrations of traditional skills like blacksmithery and displays from the Royal Artillery.
The South of England Show is a county show held annually at its own showground in Ardingly, Sussex during June.
Agriculture has historically been the primary industry of the English county of Cheshire. Dairy farming has predominated, and the county was particularly known for cheese-making.
The International Cheese Awards is a cheese show and competition held each year at Dorfold Park near Nantwich, England. Held since 1897, the show attracts entries from around the world.
The Smithfield Show, formerly the Smithfield Club Cattle Show and later the Royal Smithfield Show, was an annual British agricultural show, organised by the Royal Smithfield Club. It was founded in 1799 and was first held at Wootton's Livery Stables in Dolphin Yard, Smithfield, London. From 1862 until 1938 it was held at the Agricultural Hall in Islington, London. From 1949 it was held at the Earl's Court Exhibition Centre in Earl's Court, London. The last show was held there in 2004; it was the last major livestock show in London.
The Munster Agricultural Society, also known as the MAS, is a non-profit agricultural organisation headquartered in County Cork, Ireland. Founded in 1805, its stated charitable purpose is “to encourage and promote Agricultural, Industrial, Educational and Scientific Pursuits.” It also oversees the Munster Dairy School and Agricultural Institute.
