Royal showground

[msheep66]

It was far better than the horse and dog show thats in mid wales.

Unfortunately the Royal started to go like that with big areas of stalls and lots of space where farm machinery was once displayed so I guess the farmers stopped going. The Royal Welsh could be heading that way don't know as I have not been for a few years.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

I think one of the biggest things holding back use of the site was the decision on HS2. I'm told now that is finalised they are going to start and reinvest.

Lots of businesses run from there, friends of mine run a really successful cafe and shop and a lot of local people work there.

A lot of land will be lost to HS2 and it will be a huge upheaval. We have to move our Kenilworth Show down the road a bit and about a third of the site will go.

Quite sad, but that's progress I suppose. I've been there many times per year for just about all my life what with shows, Young Farmers, stock events and actually doing lots of contract work for the various stock units. Dad used to spread the lime there for all the units but I'm only asked to do some occasionally now as and when the once a year hay cuts don't perform. How the units couldn't make any money is beyond me, they all paid for bugger all. Went there with a full silage gang to cut for the sheep only to be told the trial innoculant hadn't arrived yet. Gaffer was a bit narked but we were told it would be there soon and they would pay waiting time. We faffed about with the kit for an hour or two then spent the entire day sunbathing and buggering about until it arrived at tea time. Best days earnings the boss ever had!

 

[Kevtherev]

I think one of the biggest things holding back use of the site was the decision on HS2. I'm told now that is finalised they are going to start and reinvest.

Lots of businesses run from there, friends of mine run a really successful cafe and shop and a lot of local people work there.

A lot of land will be lost to HS2 and it will be a huge upheaval. We have to move our Kenilworth Show down the road a bit and about a third of the site will go.

Quite sad, but that's progress I suppose. I've been there many times per year for just about all my life what with shows, Young Farmers, stock events and actually doing lots of contract work for the various stock units. Dad used to spread the lime there for all the units but I'm only asked to do some occasionally now as and when the once a year hay cuts don't perform. How the units couldn't make any money is beyond me, they all paid for bugger all. Went there with a full silage gang to cut for the sheep only to be told the trial innoculant hadn't arrived yet. Gaffer was a bit narked but we were told it would be there soon and they would pay waiting time. We faffed about with the kit for an hour or two then spent the entire day sunbathing and buggering about until it arrived at tea time. Best days earnings the boss ever had!

Any sheds want painting?

 

[JP1]

Surely the buildings at Stomeleigh are purpose built stock sheds albeit quite dated now.
The exhibition halls at EuroTier are much more comparable with the NEC, EuroTier only being a small part of their use.
Admittedly I’m out on a limb here with my opinion as I haven’t actually been around the pig and poultry sections of EuroTier however to the best of my knowledge there’s no difference to those halls and I’ve almost certainly been in them at Agritechnica.

Exactly. Even as cattle sheds the Royal Show facilities were very dated compared with - say - Ingliston or the modern ones at Builth. Professional stands at P&P in those low dark multi-span sheds look a 100 years out of date compared with Hannover

 

[borderterribles]

For my two pen'orth, what has happened to Stoneleigh and the Royal Show pretty well mirrors what has happened to British Agriculture. Once it was a jewel in the country's crown, but became an under valued irrelevance to the powers that be! Now they're building a feckin white elephant of a railway straight through it
I never thought I'd see the day.

 

[Cab-over Pete]

A local old boy said the other week "I never thought I would see the day when a bloody railway cut through my farm"

His son said "You might not yet"!!!

 

[JP1]

I think one of the biggest things holding back use of the site was the decision on HS2. I'm told now that is finalised they are going to start and reinvest.

Lots of businesses run from there, friends of mine run a really successful cafe and shop and a lot of local people work there.

A lot of land will be lost to HS2 and it will be a huge upheaval. We have to move our Kenilworth Show down the road a bit and about a third of the site will go.

Quite sad, but that's progress I suppose. I've been there many times per year for just about all my life what with shows, Young Farmers, stock events and actually doing lots of contract work for the various stock units. Dad used to spread the lime there for all the units but I'm only asked to do some occasionally now as and when the once a year hay cuts don't perform. How the units couldn't make any money is beyond me, they all paid for bugger all. Went there with a full silage gang to cut for the sheep only to be told the trial innoculant hadn't arrived yet. Gaffer was a bit narked but we were told it would be there soon and they would pay waiting time. We faffed about with the kit for an hour or two then spent the entire day sunbathing and buggering about until it arrived at tea time. Best days earnings the boss ever had!

I went to an AHDB sector meeting in one of the rooms above the cafe. Yes it's well run and a good place.

 

[pipkins]

A lot of land will be lost to HS2 and it will be a huge upheaval. We have to move our Kenilworth Show down the road a bit and about a third of the site will go

I was just going to say it always shocks me that Kenilworth Show is held on a field over the road rather than on the actual site...but based on my last few visits to Stoneleigh I think that lovely little show is probably much better for it!

I went to the Stoneleigh Show in ?2013? and it was great, but it didn't return. Then Edible Gardens was held in the same space they use for Pig and Poultry (which, to be fair, I enjoyed this year) but that's disappeared as well. Such a shame.

 

[uztrac]

Perhaps the lunches led to the demise?

No, we had to pay all costs including the Pimms!!!!

 

[Cab-over Pete]

I was just going to say it always shocks me that Kenilworth Show is held on a field over the road rather than on the actual site...but based on my last few visits to Stoneleigh I think that lovely little show is probably much better for it!

I went to the Stoneleigh Show in ?2013? and it was great, but it didn't return. Then Edible Gardens was held in the same space they use for Pig and Poultry (which, to be fair, I enjoyed this year) but that's disappeared as well. Such a shame.

The show committee wanted the show to retain its field based country show feel. And I think the owners wanted a lot of rent to be over the road!!

 

[pipkins]

Great judgement shown there then @Cab-over Pete it's a smashing show and one of the few in the area that feels like it's holding its own rather than slowly dying on its arse. It's a permanent fixture in our calendar now anyway!

 

[David.]

The closure of the dairy and pig units probably owe a lot to the sponsorship from BOCM finishing, the pig unit was run as a showpiece for modern methods, was managed by a Bernard Peet until the end as I recall, who was a switched on bloke.
It all ended at a time when Uk farming had become brainwashed that it no longer mattered, last couple of years I went, all the trial plots were gone, chem and fert manufacturers were winding down or gone, milking machine manufacturers all pulled out, and setaside mowers were the most popular machines on display. All this was presided over by a new head man who had all the appearance of a bowler hatted stuffed shirt, I forget the name just now.

 

[JP1]

The closure of the dairy and pig units probably owe a lot to the sponsorship from BOCM finishing, the pig unit was run as a showpiece for modern methods, was managed by a Bernard Peet until the end as I recall, who was a switched on bloke.
It all ended at a time when Uk farming had become brainwashed that it no longer mattered, last couple of years I went, all the trial plots were gone, chem and fert manufacturers were winding down or gone, milking machine manufacturers all pulled out, and setaside mowers were the most popular machines on display. All this was presided over by a new head man who had all the appearance of a bowler hatted stuffed shirt, I forget the name just now.

David Warren?
David Gardener?

Further back James ???

 

[Enry]

What about the dairy farm is that still going

Farming activities are long gone! Dairy unit must have closed over 20 yrs ago!!

The closure of the dairy and pig units probably owe a lot to the sponsorship from BOCM finishing, the pig unit was run as a showpiece for modern methods, was managed by a Bernard Peet until the end as I recall, who was a switched on bloke.
It all ended at a time when Uk farming had become brainwashed that it no longer mattered, last couple of years I went, all the trial plots were gone, chem and fert manufacturers were winding down or gone, milking machine manufacturers all pulled out, and setaside mowers were the most popular machines on display. All this was presided over by a new head man who had all the appearance of a bowler hatted stuffed shirt, I forget the name just now.

Dalgety Sponsored the Dairy Unit

 

[David.]

Ok, I defer.

 

[Bruce Almighty]

The closure of the dairy and pig units probably owe a lot to the sponsorship from BOCM finishing, the pig unit was run as a showpiece for modern methods, was managed by a Bernard Peet until the end as I recall, who was a switched on bloke.
It all ended at a time when Uk farming had become brainwashed that it no longer mattered, last couple of years I went, all the trial plots were gone, chem and fert manufacturers were winding down or gone, milking machine manufacturers all pulled out, and setaside mowers were the most popular machines on display. All this was presided over by a new head man who had all the appearance of a bowler hatted stuffed shirt, I forget the name just now.

Charles Runge ?

 

[Campbell]

When I worked across the road at Agco we used to be offered complimentary tickets, which was nice. Never really bothered by the traffic in later years, the A46 could to be a car park in earlier times.The last show in 2009 was a wash out as I recall, even the lovely flat free draining car parks were a bog.

 

[rusty]

Charles Runge ?

Think he was Milk Marketing Board chief Exec

 

[Bruce Almighty]

When I worked across the road at Agco we used to be offered complimentary tickets, which was nice. Never really bothered by the traffic in later years, the A46 could to be a car park in earlier times.The last show in 2009 was a wash out as I recall, even the lovely flat free draining car parks were a bog.

I thought the last show was in 2007 ?

 

[Bruce Almighty]

Think he was Milk Marketing Board chief Exec

Yes, he went to Stoneleigh about 95 after MMB finished