Photos in gallery as follows: 1. The advert for the first Gower Show. 2. An early photo of the Gower show. 3. Gower Show Morning at Pitt Farm,Penrice. Early 1950s Arthur Evans with his sheaves of corn. 4. Ad for the 1923 show from Gower Church Magazine. 5. Prize winning bull from Kilvrough Farm,shown by C Williams, Big House Farm,Lunnon. 6. 7. Gower Show Early 1950s. 8.Mr A B Turnbull, show director 1951 to 1980s. 9. Headline News in the Daily Post 1929. 10. Rob Howell,aged 8 of Manselfield Farm, Murton with his prizewinning Ryeland. 11. Andrew Evans showing Gower Warrier. 12. R Tucker Penclawdd with his white Leghorn hen, best bird in 1994 Gower Show and poultry judge D Little. 13. Gower Show 1994 - overall Champion Caerberllan Heather. 14. Centennial Show 2005. 15. A Country Show again 2005

The History of the Gower Show

The first Gower Show was held on the 20th September 1906 in the grounds of Penrice Castle by kind permission of Miss Emily Talbot. There were 480 entries, and the show was hailed as a great success. It then alternated between Penrice and Kilvrough Home Farm. No shows were held during the First World War and the 1919 Show at Kilvrough was described as Gower’s Peace Show. The 1925 show was the last to be held at Kilvrough, from this date the show was held annually at Penrice. In the early days there were few lorries in Gower, and on Show Day small groups of men and animals would be seen walking towards the showground from all the Gower villages.
The Gower Show was the highlight of the year for many Gower families – the day before would be spent preparing the animals, the children would pick wild flowers for their competition and the mothers would prepare food for the next day. On the day of the show there was a holiday atmosphere with old friends to meet and great celebrations if prices had been won. The show continued until 1939 and the resumed in 1946 at the end of the Second World War. The show continued at Penrice until 1987 when it moved to Fairwood – which lacked the rural feel of a country show and the people of Gower were delighted when in 2002 the Show came back home to Penrice. The well attended centennial show was held on a beautiful day in August 2005.

GOWER SHOW BOOK

Many thanks go to Pat Williams for providing the above summary of the History of the Gower Show. As many will know Pat, with the assistance of numerous Society members and friends, has compiled a collection of photographs and narrative on the Gower Show. This has been put together in a book called “One Hundred Years of The Gower Show”

The book traces the history of the Show from its earliest days to the Centennial Show at Penrice Castle Park. It includes memories of competitors over the years and over 200 photographs. It is a fascinating record of a significant part of Gower’s heritage. Anyone who has been involved in the show should make sure they have a copy. The book is still available, and can be obtained locally from the National Trust Shop at Rhossili, or can be ordered in the Secretary’s tent on show day.

Site produced by Selina Taylor .