The History

The trumpet daffodil King Alfred was on show, other varieties which also showed well were Hospodar and Sunrise, Honey from Saltash, Porthscathoe and Wadebridge enjoyed much interest with the awards and presentation of cups by the Mayoress Mrs JW Meek who was supported on the platform by Dr RV Favell (chairman), Canon AT Boscawen (vice president), Ald WG Goodfellow (vice chairman), Miss Wingfield, Richard Tregonning (hon treasurer) and HW Abbis (Hon Secretary).

The shows continued until just after the outbreak of the Second World War for a variety of reasons, such as concentration on home food production and the use of St John’s Hall for other purposes – which ceased in 1946. The show continued in much the same format through into the early 1960s.

A letter from Captain Abbiss that appeared in The Cornishman newspaper, in April 1963, is highly critical of the committee for cancelling the show because of the hard winter.

“I have seen many fields of fine crops,” he comments. “I cannot understand why the show was not staged; it is a great Ioss to the growing community.”

Abbiss was secretary to the show committee for many years and remained the driving force behind the scenes.

However market forces and conditions were rapidly changing and by 1965 the old commercial show had gone and was replaced by the West Cornwall Spring Show. Over the next ten years the committee worked at widening the remit of exhibits to the show, as less and less commercial growers took part more gardening classes were introduced along with an increasing amateur following. This broader remit has undoubtedly saved the show up until the present.

Since its conception in 1924,  the Spring Show has undergone many changes in its content style and exhibitor input as would be expected with such a long running calendar event. During that time span the Show has been organised by a committee which itself has changed its name and structure, the most recent committee being the West Cornwall Spring Show Committee who have organised the show since 1975.

The Foot and Mouth crisis, in 2001, caused the first cancellation in many years, and to recoup their losses the Committee organised a summer Show in August 2001. This show became a regular event on the local horticultural calendar, and was well received by exhibitors and visitors.