When I recently printed in the 50 Years Ago section a story about Harwood Show, it brought from Turton historian Jim Francis, of Old Ned's Farm, Bradshaw, these pictures taken many years ago.
One of them shows the sheepdog trials in 1936, another the heavy horse section being judged in 1958 and Magees Brewery delivery dray and team in 1958.
The show had begun in 1930 with sheep dog trials, but the scope was widened, and the annual event at Nab Gate was very popular with the public.
However, as usual, all the work was left to a loyal band, and combined with bad weather in 1966 when heavy rain lashed the ground and only a small crowd of spectators turned up, it was decided in April, 1967 that there would be no show that year.
In October, 1967, an extra-ordinary general meeting was called to discuss the future of Harwood Show (only 20 people, most of them committee members bothered to attend), and in less than an hour it was decided to disband the Harwood Agricultural Society. The Harwood Show had come to an end.
Incidentally, Mr Francis tells me that at the moment he is researching the Knotts farm and Riding Gate areas of Harwood, and he hopes to publish a book about it in the near future, to add to the other excellent series about that district.
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