It was at this point that horse jumping was introduced for the first time, the start of changes which would lead to today's broader popular appeal.
In the year of the show's Golden Jubilee in 1899 the Society had become a force well recognised in the area and the event had grown in size tremendously over the previous fifty years.
The Show stands are one of the reasons for a steady increase in visitors over the years and have included many diverse businesses. For instance, in 1926 there was a funeral director from Eastwood called Hartley who advertised in the programme back then that he had the most up to date funeral carriages in the district and proudly stated that he had taken delivery of a char-a-banc (coach) for large or small parties.
It was also in that year that one local pub proclaimed itself open 'from ten til ten' in a far gentler era of alcohol imbibement.
Today's exhibitors still offer traditional services seen at The Show such as equine products but also encompass items which retail to the general public.
The show organisers also contribute to the econom of the event, in one instance a puzzling item was included in the 1930 accounts for "Wreaths and Dog Machine Hire £5 3s".
Throughout its long history The Show has seen its share of historical events includinig, sadly, two world wars. Indeed such was the devastating impact on the nation overall that The Show was suspended for some of the years during these cataclysmic events.
The Society was still in existence however, and indeed, although in 1943 the show was cancelled, the Society made several charitable donations, among them £14 13s. 6d to Nottingham General Hospital.
In 1965 the show was rescheduled to take place on Monday, part of moves to further improve attendance figures which resulted in record figures four years later with over 19,000 visitors and over 2,500 cars.
The Show's hard working volunteers deal with a much bigger organisational task these days and with just forty people running the event there is always the need for more help.
The costs in running The Show were remarkable by today's standards. The 1923 Show cost a grand total of £279!
Today's show costs in the region of £120,000 to host and involves around 3,000 participants, trades and activities. As The Show moves on, it will be interesting to see how it reflects the changes in wider society, who knows what will be at the Moorgreen Show next year!
One of the finest looking presented at the Show is the silver South Notts Cup awarded to the competitor scoring most points in the Livestock classes. But probably the most prestigious is The Royal Horticultural Society's Banksian Medal awarded to the competitor enjoying most success in the Horticultural classes. And it also provides curious link between the RHS and the Watnall Showground.
|
|
 |
Son of a Lincolnshire landowner Joseph Banks was born in 1743, and was educated at Harrow, Eton and Oxford. As an enthusiastic botanist he made his first voyage of discovery - to Newfoundland and Labrador - aged 23. Within weeks of his return he was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Society and later went on to become its President from 1778 - 1820.
In 1768 at a personal cost estimated to be around £10,000 Banks joined Captain Cook on HMS Endeavour to circumnavigate the world on what was descibed as "an unprecedented voyage of botanical and ethnographic investigation". Also present on that epic voyage was Benjamin Drawater from Eastwood who is buried in Greasley Parish Church graveyard just half a mile from the Showground.
Banks collected plants in South America, Tahiti and New Zealand before reaching Australia and spending time in what is now known as Botany Bay and the Endeavour River cataloguing 110 new herbarium specimens and 1,300 new plant species.
He returned in triumph and was anything but idle, running his own estates, controlling the Royal Botanic Gardens and Kew and becoming a trustee of the British Museum. He was knighted in 1781.
Such was his impact on the botanical knowledge on both England and Australia that for a time there was a suggestion that Australia be named "Banksia." It was not adopted but nonetheless his name was given to a genus of Australian plants.
Banks was one of seven men who met in March 1804 at a bookshop in Piccadily to form what is now the Royal Horticultural Society.
Sir Joseph Banks (1743 - 1820) scientific patron, naturalist and plant collector.
If you think you have anything of historical interest please e-mail us at showhistory@moorgreenshow.co.uk, and help keep the history of this fantastic country show alive and kicking!
|
