My interest in this agricultural show was stimulated when Chris Lewis gave me a copy of a poster advertising the event. It is of particular interest to me because the show took place on fields bordering the River Usk between the current Elvicta Estate and Crickhowell on land where my wife, Anne, and I now live and which was purchased by my father in the 1950s.
The advertising poster for the Crickhowell Agricultural Association notes that the 28th Annual Show was to be held on Monday 26 August. The entry charge was one shilling and prize money of £200 was available. The President was Sir A B Tulloch KCB, CMG of Glaslyn Court and vice presidents included The Duke of Beaufort, Lord Glanusk, Lieut-Col Sandeman and Colonel Parkinson. The Great Western Railway Company provided a motor car between Brecon, Crickhowell and Abergavenny and the London and North Western Railway offered cheap tickets to Gilwern.
Reports from the Brecon and Radnor County Express (B & R) indicate that the summer of 1912 had been a very poor one with much of the hay harvest around Crickhowell being ruined. The show, although receiving record entries for the classes, was plagued by bad weather. The B & R notes that ‘….the deluge, which never ceased for a moment’ turned the showground into ‘a veritable quagmire’ and ‘spectators squelched through water and mud’.
The reports suggest that attendances had been falling off for some years and the Society under its President and its new Secretary, Mr W V Jones of Clarence Villa, had made great efforts to turn matters around. But their work was to no avail. The B&R notes that in Crickhowell, ‘The flags and bunting were there, on Monday only to flap listlessly over rain swept streets but no happy crowds.’
The Committee pressed on with a public luncheon in a marquee on the grounds although speeches
were dispensed with. The Blaenavon Templar Prize Silver Band, under its conductor Mr J Bond was reduced to playing its music selections in a tent.
Although the conditions meant that the stock was not seen at its best the number and quality of entries showed an improvement over recent years. Judges for the classes came from as far afield as Knighton and Leominster. As is to be expected the prizewinners featured many well known local farming families
and the local gentry including Lord Glanusk, Mr Pirie Gordon from Gwernvale and Miss Solly Flood from Porthmawr. First prize in the class for the two year old filly or gelding went to William Ralph of the Court Farm.
The show was not a financial success. Gate receipts were only £20 and a loss of £120 was incurred.
This followed on from a deficit from the show in 1911 and put the future of the show in doubt. A public meeting, chaired by Mr Evans of Ivy Towers was held in the Town Hall to consider how to make good the loss. The Secretary, Mr V W Jones and Mr Harry Beckwith JP, had given a donation of £70 towards the loss on ‘the distinct understanding that the town and district must do something’.
The meeting agreed that a carnival should be held to replenish the Society’s funds. This was to be on Friday 27 September and consisted of a parade around Crickhowell and Llangattock led by the Abergavenny Borough Band and the Llangattock Scout Band. The procession numbered several hundred and a large number of people lined the route. Participants adopted a variety of costumes including Napoleon, a Zulu chief, Paddy from Cork, Tommy Atkins and Henry V. A Miss Maggie Ralph
was one of four Italian Maids. The collection taken during the parade amounted to £8.
It is not clear from the local press reports whether the Committee was successful in clearing the deficit.
Clive Ralph
20 March 2010
Crickhowell History Society 