Bygone Events on the Town Moor

THE ROYAL SHOW

Barbara Nesbitt, Senior Steward of the Shipwrights remembers visiting the Royal Show on the Town Moor in 1962.

The Royal Show was an annual event run by the Royal Agricultural Society of England from 1839 to 2009. Until 1963, it was held at one of a selection of venues including Liverpool, Birmingham and Newcastle Town Moor. Many of you may remember it on the Moor in 1956 and 1962, the previous visit was 1935. Newcastle always attracted a big crowd and almost quarter of a million people attended in 1956. In 1962 it occupied a large area including the Hoppings site but extending further west up Claremont Road. There was of course no central motorway in 1962. This would also have meant that most of the traffic, including horse boxes and cattle trucks, would have arrived via the Great North Road, which in those days included Northumberland Street and Gosforth High Street.

The show had classes for all farm animals from heavy horses to poultry as well as a flower show and local specialities such as racing pigeons and pit ponies. There were also many trade stands with wonderful displays of farm machinery and demonstration areas for such things as dry stone walling and sheep shearing. And of course, there were the beer tents. The show lasted for four days and competitors came from all over the country so what seemed like miles of tents were needed to house the animals, equipment and provisions.

As well as the exhibits there were marches of massed military bands, performances by a motor bike display team, parades of foxhounds and much more. Last but not least there was my favourite, show jumping. In 1962 top riders including David Broome and Harvey Smith were competing.

The show was inconveniently (for those at work or school) held from Tuesday to Friday and the 1962 show was held in early July. However, proceedings went on past 7pm and admission was half price on the last two afternoons. Aged twelve, I think, I went on three days after school; once with a friend and then on my own on the last two days for only 1/- for each of them. I had shelled out 5/- for a catalogue so I had to get my money’s worth.

One of the photos shows the famous showjumper Pegasus with my friend Pat. Pegasus was ridden by Ted Williams, one of the leading riders in the 1950s and 1960s. It’s a good demonstration of how times have changed as we could wander up close to valuable horses whereas now, they would be well guarded.

Another photo shows pit ponies. They were still working in collieries in the north east but came to the surface for their summer holidays and were turned out immaculately for shows.

On the final afternoon the trade stands were being dismantled and I acquired some free bedding plants that I somehow carried back proudly to Fawdon on the bus.

After 1962 the Royal Show continued at the Society’s HQ at Stoneleigh in Warwickshire so we were lucky to see the last travelling show. The shows stopped altogether after 2009 rather oddly citing lack of demand even though other huge agricultural shows such as the Great Yorkshire and Royal Highland continue to thrive.

RACING

Grandstand Road....Racing in Newcastle is first recorded in 1632 when the Newcastle Corporation paid £20 for ‘two silver potts’ to be raced for on Killingworth Moor. There was also an unsuccessful attempt to stage races at Shieldfield in the 17th century....The Town Moor became a racing venue in 1721. By the end of the century changes in racing were occurring, with the construction of fully enclosed racecourses where everyone paid an entrance fee. Consequently, the racecourse was moved in 1881 to Gosforth Park....

EXECUTIONS

Amongst those who met a grizzly end on the Town Moor, is 21 year old Robert Knowles who was hanged in 1776 for stealing a letter.