Welcome to the website for the Winchcombe Country Show 2023, the 73rd in the current series with the Flower Show classes listed. This year, the Organising Committee has decided to not issue a printed Show Schedule but adopt an on-line Schedule instead. So many people operate their lives through digital media that it makes sense to move the Show schedule to the digital sphere.

Changing times

Now that the Covid pandemic seems to have retreated if not gone away completely, the threat of infection by mixing with crowds of exhibitors and visitors in the Show tent can be almost disregarded. Indeed the crowds in the tent last year indicated that most people were able to feel comfortable then and the threat has diminished since. Last year I wrote about changes to the Flower Show over the years and change continues to meet new challenges to your Committee. The current cost of living increases present such a challenge to us all and with more people seeking to grow their own fruit and vegetables, I hope more growers will feel able to show their produce at this year’s Show. The new Allotments lead me to hope the holders will want to display their splendid produce, even if the items are not perfect in every way. A little “wonky-ness” doesn’t affect the taste. Similarly for baked entries, their production can be an example of exhibits fit for a King to view and a family to enjoy making and consuming.

Absent friends

It is with great sadness to have to report that this year has seen the deaths of the last two of the original members of the Winchcombe Youth Club involved in restarting the Flower Show back in 1950; Joyce Curnock, our President, died in April while her younger sister, Barbara Jean Roles who was the first Floral Queen, died in November 2022. Our thoughts are with their families.

– Alan Herod, April 2023

The show has a long heritage. The first flower show in Winchcombe was held at Sudeley Castle, organised by John Coucher-Dent and his head gardener William Pierce in August 1860. In subsequent years the Flower Show amalgamated with the Winchcombe Agricultural Show which ran until the beginning of the Second World War.

After the war, the show was revived in 1949 and our late President, Joyce Curnock, was the first Show Secretary. The show was originally part of a Festival week of entertainments including the election of Miss Winchcombe, a gymkhana, an open air service and a series of plays. Given the show’s long history, there are over fifty trophies to win. The grandest trophy is the Cavendish House Rose Bowl. It has been fought over for many years and is still one of the most handsome trophies that many want to win.

In the headlines

Below is a report about the show in 1923 (Gloucestershire Echo):

Winchcombe was to be congratulated on doing so remarkably well especially as this was the first time that the show was in the town and not at Sudeley Castle. The sweet peas were exceptionally good and Mr Gardner’s Rhode Island Red cockerel was an outstanding winner.

While digging through the show archive we have managed to find some interesting past events. One of the most entertaining is the Beer Race of 1973. Below is an excerpt from a local paper:

They take their drinking seriously in Gloucestershire, not least particularly in picturesque Winchcombe. It was an event that closed roads, had local policemen holding up traffic to allow the inebriated to cross, had church bells ringing and the local populace lining the streets as 159 worthies sweated and drank their way around the town. The last stop was the Plaisterers Arms. The air was heavy with the unmistakable aroma of regurgitated beer. The rose bushes will never recover! There were no arrests, no punch-ups and not a window broken. ‘There’s less tension in these parts’ explained a special constable as he steered another beer sodden athlete towards the saloon bar.

The winning team (from Bishops Cleeve) received a 10 gallon barrel of beer – should think that was the last thing they needed and amazingly the winning team got around the pubs (Plaisterers Arms, Corner Cupboard, The Bell, The Sun, The Lion and the White Hart) in 17 minutes. 800 pints were drunk. It is extremely unlikely that there will be a re-run!

Just a little snapshot from the show’s long history.

One of the best ways to get involved with the show is to enter our competitions. For those with four-legged friends, consider entering the dog show on the day.

If you’re interested in having a stall at this year’s show, including food or drink vendors, please contact us via the stalls page.

For  all other enquiries, including volunteering, committee membership and sponsorship enquiries, please see our get involved page.