The Royal Show, also known as the Royal Agricultural Show, was an annual

agricultural show 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 judged event or display in which selective breeding, bree ...

held by the

Royal Agricultural Society of England The Royal Agricultural Society of England (RASE) promotes the scientific development of English agriculture. It was established in 1838 with the motto "Practice with Science" and was known as the English Agricultural Society until it received i ...

every year from 1839 to 2009. The event encompassed all aspects of farming, food and rural life - from the best of British livestock to the latest business and technological innovations in the farming industry. Over 1,000 stands, world-class livestock and equine classes attracted visitors from over 100 countries. The Royal Show gave the name

Park Royal Park Royal is an area in North West London, England, divided between the London Borough of Ealing and the London Borough of Brent. It is the site of the largest business park in London, but despite intensive existing use, the area is, togethe ...

to the part of west London which once hosted the show. The Royal Agricultural Society of England had planned to make the site a permanent home for the Royal Show. It was not a success and the society sold the land in 1907.

History

On the road from 1839 to 1902

Between 1839 and 1902 the Royal Show was held at various locations across the country:

Park Royal from 1903 to 1905

Following the 1879 event at Queen's Park, which incurred a large financial loss due to bad weather, the Royal Agricultural Society made the decision to look for a permanent showground, in order to reduce costs and make additional income from letting the site for other events. Eventually a site was leased near Twyford Abbey in West London, and given the name

by the society, a name it continues to bear. The first show was held on the site in 1903. The attendances at the 1903 show were disappointing, and even worse at the shows in the two following years. By then it was decided that the idea of a permanent show had been a mistake, and that the travelling show should resume. The show grounds were sold for industrial use in 1907.

Back on the road from 1906 to 1962

Stoneleigh Park from 1963 to 2006

From 1963, the Royal Show was held in Stoneleigh Park (previously known as the National Agricultural Centre or NAC) near Stoneleigh in

Warwickshire Warwickshire (; abbreviated Warks) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands of England. It is bordered by Staffordshire and Leicestershire to the north, Northamptonshire to the east, Ox ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

. The first show at Stoneleigh lasted four days and attracted 111,916 visitors.

The 2007 show

More than 140,000 visitors were expected to attend the 2007 show; however, bad weather forced the show to close early for the first time in its history.Wet weather forces Royal Show to abandon final day - 03/07/2007 - FarmersWeekly
/ref> Torrential rains left the showground saturated and police and show organisers took the decision to close the show a day ahead of schedule "to ensure the safety and welfare of the public, traders and exhibitors". Two of the showground's car parks were closed on Monday evening after drivers had to be towed free. A further of barley and hay fields were mown to provide additional parking on the Tuesday. The decision was described as "heartbreaking" by the Royal Agricultural Society of England. John Moverley, RASE Chief Executive, said the financial implications of the wet weather and closing the show early were being assessed. "We haven’t got exact figures, but it looks as though we are down by about 10% for the first two days on last year," he said.

The end

The Royal Show was again run at Stoneleigh in 2008. However, on 3 April 2009, organisers said the 2009 show would be the last.End of an era for Royal Show
/ref> The Agricultural Buildings Show has taken over in part from the Royal Show at Stoneleigh Park.

References

External links

Official website
{{warwick district Agricultural shows in England Culture in Warwickshire 1839 establishments in England 2009 disestablishments in England Fairs in the United Kingdom Festivals established in 1839