About Frome & District Agricultural Society
The first Frome Cheese Show took place on Wednesday 27th September 1861 which was planned to exhibit cheese and butter from local farmers. The Cheese Fair was a success and can be gauged from the fact that it has continued ever since, but pressures of one sort or another has forced many changes. The Fairs continued until 1914 when the market hall was taken over for the war however the show continued to flourish holding its annual show in the Market Field.
The move to Fromefield in 1920 was a big step forward for the society; with the purchase of its own land and a permanent home its future became more certain. The Society in its early days was keen to encourage craftsmanship and in addition to the usual classes of livestock it ran competition for Hedging, Thatching, Ploughing, Root Growing Acreage Classes, Root Hoeing and so on. The Young Farmers Club movement grew up during the war and they have taken over the Ploughing Matches and Hedging Competitions.
The Show has developed and grown to become one of the biggest one day Shows in the West; and can claim to have moved with the times by encouraging popular events. Horses and riders are now a major attraction. Very popular with both exhibitors and the visitors are the Driving classes.
The 123rd year saw another dramatic change when it moved to the West Woodlands Showground. This came about due to the show outgrowing its space in the town. The show was heavenly dependent on schools closing on show day to enable the society to use their grounds for car parking which was always a worry of whether this would continue. The safety of the public was always paramount to the Society, so this was another major factor of the move because of the ever increasing livestock and horse entries.
The Society looks forward to many more successful years ahead at The West Woodlands Showground.