By Isle of Wight Observer
It’s the 125th Royal Isle of Wight County Show this year – a milestone that reflects a history shaped by royal patronage, agricultural hardship, and remarkable resilience.
Founded in May 1882, the Royal Isle of Wight Agricultural Society held its first show in Newport, under the patronage of Queen Victoria, who was herself a keen livestock keeper. The royal connection ran deep from the start – Victoria entered and won competitions, and the 1885 show was rescheduled to accommodate the wedding of her daughter, Princess Beatrice.
The show’s history has been marked by repeated disruption, such as foot and mouth outbreaks, and both World Wars halting the event entirely. And, more recently, the Covid pandemic led to further cancellations.
Despite the setbacks, the society has rebuilt each time. It bought its own showground at Nine Acres in 1922, before moving to its permanent site in Northwood in 1967, which was opened by the Earl Mountbatten of Burma.
In recent years, the show has seen a strong revival, with the Household Cavalry captivating crowds in 2019, and the Queen’s Colour Squadron attending in 2022. Other previous crowd-pleasers include Red Rum, treble-winning Grand National racehorse, and the Red Devils parachute team.
This year’s show features all the favourite traditional events and animals, plus exciting new highlights such as camel racing.
The show is held over the weekend of July 11 and 12. Adult advance ticket £12.50, and under-16s go free. Visit iwcountyshow.co.uk