Island Life August/September 2018

Interview
The Royal
Isle of Wight
County Show
A personal reflection by
Nicky Hayward, MBE
As a born-and-bred Islander, I feel passionately
about the importance of the Royal Isle of Wight
County Show. The Agricultural Society, which puts
on the Show every year, was originally founded in
1882 and Queen Victoria was the first patron.
She was also a regular exhibitor
throughout her life, and a frequent
visitor to the annual Show. King
Edward VII followed as patron, with
Major Henry J Way becoming the
first honorary secretary, a position
he held for 24 years. The Show has
always taken place in or around
Newport, with the exception of
the years 1888 and 1897, when
the venue was Ryde. Historically
the Royal Family always took a
keen interest in the affairs of the
Society. On the death of Lord
Eversly, Governor of the Isle of
Wight, Prince Henry of Battenburg
succeeded as president. In 1885,
the date of the Show had to be
altered as it clashed with the
wedding of Princess Beatrice.
Financially, the Society has faced
many crises, but because of the
loyalty of Islanders, it has always
managed to weather these storms.
The Society organised the
ploughing matches, and before
the formation of the NFU the
Central Chamber of Agriculture
was the national agricultural
forum. From 1909, Mr R.P. Mew
represented the Society at the
London meetings and reported
back quarterly to the members.
For many years, the site for the
Show presented a problem, first on
one field, then another. Eventually
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