Shakespeare's Rally Promotions

History

 

When the Black Country Museum’s Steam Rally organised by Len Crane, held in October, was stopped due to the redevelopment of the site. A small steam party was organised by Keith Shakespeare for the NTET (National Traction Engine Trust), at the rear of the 'Ewe and Lamb', in Bromsgrove on 14th & 15th October 1989.

After two years it outgrew the site so the show was moved to the Avoncroft Museum down the road. The first show at Avoncroft was held in the car park, then we were asked to move inside the grounds & organise a show on behalf of the museum, over the Easter weekend. 

At the same time we started setting up the Astwood Bank Steam Party, at Sandhills Farm (S. E. Davies & Son) in Astwood Bank near Redditch. Due to the show been moved to late September, Keith Shakespeare began to make a name for himself as the rainmaker, to the point where some exhibitors were threatening to send him to drought stricken Sudan, as nearly every year we had rain & mud.

 

In 1995 the rally was moved to the rear of the Vernon Arms in nearby Hanbury and with a change of date, (One week earlier!!)  the Hanbury Steam Rally was born. During the spell at Hanbury we had several successful years, (although the landlord was forever changing). We even managed to keep going through the petrol crisis & the foot and mouth epidemic in 2000, which saw us move to Worcester Racecourse for a year.

The Easter show was moved in 2003 to the same site as the Hanbury Steam Rally and changing name to the Hanbury Vintage Easter Show, A year later we took over organising the Evesham Vintage Steam Rally held at Ashdown Farm in August, which was an immediate success almost parallel to Hanbury. Hanbury slowly out grew the Vernon Arms so in September 2004 we moved to Little Intall Fields in Stoke Prior, Bromsgrove, less than half a mile from our first site at the Ewe and Lamb The following year we moved our Easter show to the same site as Evesham and it changed names once again to the Evesham Vintage Easter Gathering, although still having the same success with the weather. (2007 heat wave and then in 2008 Joyful snow again) 2008 saw the birth of two new shows, the Tortworth Vintage Rally in May and Tortworth Vintage Transport Show in July, both held on the Tortworth estate near Bristol.

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Dr Busker