Penistone's Big Annual Event
Penistone Agricultural Show is our most important annual event and the largest one-day show event in Yorkshire. It attracts large crowds and exhibitors from far and wide. This started in 1854, stopping for two world wars and some near-misses due to such as foot-and-mouth disease in 2002 and 2007. Although the earlier post-war dates were in August, the date of Penistone Show has long been established as the second Saturday of September each year. This page looks only at a few recent years. The Show history is explored at Penistone Show history.
A Gift of Land
Most of the Showground had been donated by a farmer for use by Penistone people for recreational purposes. Under the 1972 Local Government Re-organisation (enacted in 1974), Barnsley Metropolitan Borough Council assumed control over Penistone's assets and the local council lost most of its influence over planning decisions. At some point, plans were drawn up for a large housing development above the Showground. This was largely unknown locally but, at a public meeting opposed to plans for a children's nursery being to be built on the playing fields near back Lane, some at the meeting claimed to have seen those housing estate plans.
According to Penistone Agricultural Society special newspaper for 2023, the development company went bankrupt and the society was able to purchase the field above the Showground in 1982 near Rud Broom Lane. We might speculate that they had in mind to purchase more land at some point to be used by the annual Show, if the opportunity and finances fell into place.
A later town centre regeneration plan from BMBC included a new market and a Tesco food store. Tesco was allocated an acre of Showground and the Bowling Club land was reconfigured. At the time it looked like a threat to Penistone Show, particularly with access and parking problems but the Show committee made great efforts to make it work. It worked well.
In 2014, the Showground was classed as a 'QEII Field in Trust' as part of a scheme to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. This would protect recreational land from being developed for other purposes (see 2012). Please note that the word 'protected' has a perverse definition in the world of Planning but it is used correctly here. From around 2010, the higher fields owned by the Sociey could also be better employed for the Show, having been drained, levelled and planted with hard-wearing grass.
2001 Show
Nearly all the UK's agricultural shows were cancelled in 2001 because of the 'foot and mouth' epidemic in cattle and Penistone Show was also nearly cancelled. A good job that it wasn't, as this wonderful day kept me occupied for nearly five hours. The weather stayed dry and windy but not cold and the sun was out more than it was in. The weather stayed dry and windy but not cold and the sun was out more than it was in.
2002 Show
The 2002 show went ahead with some restrictions on livestock, after the effects of the 'foot & mouth' epidemic. There were no sheep or goats and the public were not allowed to touch farm animals. Even so, by all accounts there was plenty to see and do. Sorry, but I was on my jollies and missed this one.
2003 Show
A gloriously sunny day with huge crowds. There were the usual displays of vintage vehicles, tree surgery, archery, wall building, camera club, horticulture, foods, handicrafts, hurdle making and much more. Unusually, this year's show had camel racing and ferret racing (cloth caps not a pre-requisite).
2004 Show
Very windy but dry and mostly sunny. Pretty much the same ingredients as previous years but a sheep display was introduced this year with a New Zealander doing his entertaining spiel. Little kids ran for it when he said that sheep sometimes escape into the crowd. Thurlstone Brass Band gave a rollickingly good performance. Also - a protest - when a few green-wellied hunt supporters wielding placards showed their distaste for the government's fox hunting ban.
2005 Show
A great wash-out and mud-bath year but yet Penistone was still a-buzzing. Young lads wearing training shoes had some particular problems in the persistent rain and probably did not stay for long. A smaller crowd on the Showground as usual but enough to be viable. Some stands had left by 4pm. The local paper said that around 7,000 people came to the show.
Charity Bedpush
The Fire Station was involved with a charity bed-push, which also was difficult in the persistent rain. Girls from Springvale sandwich shop and others set off from Cubley Hall at noon pushing a proper hospital bed. The drip feed was a bottle of Budweiser. The lead car was driven by Oxspring councillor Robert Cooper. Their route took in Mortimer Road, Victoria Street, Church View Road and town centre. The final destination was the Fire Station, where (on a good day) people might have had their photographs taken on the bed with the various fitness fanatics from 'Living Well' or a fireman. Donations of £785 were received on the day for Weston Park Hospital in Sheffield. Well done to Clark's Chemist which printed digital photos to a very high standard, and free of charge.
2006 Show
A warm sunny day with what must have been record crowds. It had a new layout and there seemed to be more to see but with less happening; with less of a 'buzz' than usual. The marquees looked to be more spacious. Some old favourites were there, such as the NZ sheep-shearing but other things were missing, such as dry stone walling and the blacksmith's forge and I did not see a tug-o'-war this time (or ever afterwards). The dog show was bigger, in the playground area that 'Busy Bees' wanted to build on. I thought that there were fewer horsey events. Penistone FM had a small plot in a dead zone while Dismal Dearne FM had a prime spot, with much jumping about by its presenters to a largely disinterested crowd. It was a good day out but queues for refreshments were too long. I did the civilised thing and nipped out for a nice cup of tea in the Vicarage cafe.
2007 Show
The weather stayed fine, if cloudy with an occasional hint of sun. Thurlstone Brass Band played a fine Yorkshire medley which included 'Ilkley Moor' and 'Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill'. The energetic girl band 'Poppi Chix' belted out a string of songs. The Mortier Orchestration vehicle had little figures beating out an 86-key tune. An elderly gentleman was very proud to talk about his vintage motorbike and there was a fine collection of steam engines nearby.
This year's show was a stronger effort and very busy with the usual wide range of exhibits, crafts, horticulture, animals, trade stands and what have you. There was enough to see and do for a two-day event. The layout was something like in 2006, well spread out but with plenty to see. As always, anything without a price tag was expensive. In fact you could see why some stalls were too embarrassed to price up their goods.
The dry-stone walling team was back but with no sign of the blacksmiths. There was an entertaining display of wood-cutting using power saws and in one marquee a man was cutting wood into intricate shapes. The usual prize flowers and vegetables adorned another marquee. Arts and crafts were in another and Penistone Photographic Club had their usual splendid exhibition. The horsey stuff went on as usual with some riders dressing up a bit more than previously. I saw prize cattle but there were special measures with disinfectant because of this year's outbreak of foot and mouth disease.
The TA had a proper tank to look at and laser weapons for people to shoot their mates. The real show-stealer was a spitfire aeroplane doing awe-inspiring manoeuvres above the field. Fantastic. Everything stopped and there was a tangible feeling of shock and wonderment in the crowd when that happened. Jaws dropped open all around.
2008 Show
The first area upon entering the Show was vintage trucks, cars and motorcycles in spotless, gleaming condition, followed by a line of stationary steam engines. These made gentle popping and swooshing noises, and some quite mysterious smells. It rained for a little while and was muddy underfoot but then the rain abated and glorious sun came out to save the day. In fact it was almost warm. Barnsley Chronicle said that more than 16,000 visitors came.
Guarding the member's enclosure, the 'Corps of Commissionaires' fellow was a gleaming example of gentlemanly smartness. Not a hair out of place; brightly polished shoes; sharp trouser creases; a polished sash and an air of polite but efficient authority. You almost felt like saluting. He would have made James Bond look a scruff. The Punch and Judy show professor appeared to have more adults than children watching. Must have been the nostalgia, but even that is not what it used to be. A marquee had information about five large turbines planned for Royd Moor, with map. It might have been to object to them. Another tent had a 'Save the Woodhead Tunnel' sign up and people signing a petition.
The ferret show was new for this year and more enjoyable than you might expect. Very wick little creatures, those, and you wouldn't want one anywhere near trouser legs. A good pint of London's Ruddles in a wobbly glass was at the appropriately London price, £3 a pint. That was very welcome but there was not enough seating in the bar area.
The Jazz duo was very entertaining and seemed to be completely oblivious to their surroundings, including the wet. The usual sweet stall turned up (probably arriving by Rolls-Royce), with no prices displayed as usual and for the usual good reason. £5 for a liquorice string is surely taking the mickey. Little Johnny would demand his sweeties and daddy would have to pay, leaving all but one happy. Golden Rule for visitors: If no prices are shown on a stall, it is silly-expensive.
One stall had some fancy Belgian chocolate and the stall holder was alert enough to catch a youth gobbling down stolen lumps of chocolate. "You wouldn't do that in a shop, would you?", she asked, as the crowd focussed on the shameless youth, as though lit by spotlight. His girlfriend looked more embarrassed than he was, as his simple mind was untroubled by conscience.
Penistone Footpath Runners ran their usual 10km road race on Show Day. That race always starts on Victoria Street to the sound of a horn at noon and finishes just inside the top entrance by the children's rectreation ground. It must have produced a line of steaming runners as they would have set off in the rain. As before, there appeared to be yet more to look at than before. Then it was off across the rural tarmac towards the Old Crown for a beer and sandwich.
2009 Show
Well, after a while you begin to run out of superlatives. It was a great day and it's become a cliche to say that it had record crowds, estimated between 10,000 and 20,000 people. Show Day turned out to be gloriously sunny and the crowds came from near, far and beyond. New for this year was local radio station Penistone FM doing live link-ups with the studio. Camel-racing made a return appearance but the crowd was too deep to see anything. Dismal Dearne were low profile this year and without their road show.
The Red Arrows aerobatic team were supposed to do a fly-over but did not turn up until 5.45pm, after the Show had finished and everyone had gone home. The map shown above was from this year.
2010 Show
The Show came along during a period of rainy weather but it was sunny on the day if not warm. It rained later for a while but wasn't a wash-out. This was the first Show after the Tesco was built and people were prevented from using the 'Town Centre Car Park', even the shoppers. In spite of new hindrances, it proved to be another good Show with most of the customary attractions. The armed forces might not have had any stands this year.
Vintage vehicles and steam machines were on view, as well as the usual marquees for horticulture, crafts, photography club, refreshments and so on. As usual, anything without a price-tag was expensive. The horsey events had a full itinerary. A team of handbell ringers produced some welcome sounds reminiscent of the old Thurlstone handbell ringers. All in all it was a fairly normal Show but perhaps with fewer visitors because of the weather.
2011 Show
From the Events List for that year:
9am 'to dusk', Showground. 50th Show since it closed for WW2. Adults £10, Senior £7, Child £2.50, Family Ticket £20 pre-show (max four children). Free parking. WW2 theme with 50-year marquee and wartime cookery demonstrations. Headline act is Chariots of Fire, where carriages are driven through blazing hoops. Family fun, horsey people, horsey rings, horsey smells, vintage vehicles, Thurlstone Brass Band, Barnsley Concert Band, assorted singers, entertainment rings, children's rides, puppet show, steam machines, dogs, pigs, goats, ferrets, poultry, cattle, ducks, sheep, poo, wellies, horticulture, photography, arts & crafts, NFU, military stands, local council, local radio, demonstrations, tree huggers, FoE anoraks, trading village, tranklements, binoculars, plants, hot food, ice cream, sandwich tent, veggie food, chips, rubber burgers and wobbly beer.
Fun at Previous Shows
It was very funny at an eighties show when events seemed to turn quite surreal. My group had been radio-marshalling the Penistone Footpath Runners event from the CB Club caravan at the top of the Showground and we observed many a peculiar goings-on.
An inebriated local who had spent far too long in the beer tent stumbled into a small tent (like we used to see when a road was dug up) near to where we were watching. It was a little tent to be used for announcements and it had a live PA mike. For reasons known best to himself, he launched into a long defamation of one well-known police constable and in very colourful and entertaining language. This man was as good as any comedian and the crowd was howling with laughter. We could imagine some panic as the PA people tried to work out what was happening. Then, all of a sudden, his voice cut out mid-sentence. The long arm of the law had reached into the tent from Bobby Burton's sturdy frame and it resulted in what they call it a 'felt collar.' The drunkard was led away.
Another time there was a mixture of horror and shades of "There but for the Grace of God go I" when a startled horse being led towards the arena area instead decided to defer its public exhibition and escaped instead into the crowd. To determined efforts to control the animal, it struggled hard and broke free - only to upturn a portaloo with someone sat in it. Oh dear, not a pleasant time for somebody. More tears and not all of laughter.
Winston Churchill: 'If you're going through hell, keep going.'
