The Golden Age of Victorian Farming proves ever-popular; and ‘pride of place’ at the 2023 Shrewsbury Steam Rally will be The Working Field.
The annual County of Salop Steam Engine Society’s Rally takes place this year at Onslow Park, Shrewsbury on Sunday 27th August and Monday 28th August; and visitors can take a nostalgic look at the farming of ‘days gone by’. The event will see an exciting mix of impressive working machines that capture the history and heritage of farming. The Working Field will play host to some wonderful original farming skills and techniques; with craftspeople demonstrating everything from stone crushing, and butter making, to live blacksmith demonstrations and cider making. Each year one of the main attractions is the beautiful team of shire horses harvesting with reaper binders, and chaff cutting plus a threshing box (with the baler on the end).
Nick Onions the Working Arena Section Secretary said: “We have a great selection of skills from a bygone era and the sawing benches show how timber was worked in times gone by. There’s everything from bees to bodging! The Shropshire Beekeepers Association will be providing a superb display and the bodger (from the Association of Pole Lathe Turners & Greenwood Workers) will be showing how traditional greenwood craftsmanship can create many familiar items using fresh wood.
Shropshire Mines Trust stone crushing in the Working Arena is also highly popular. We will have a selection of hand held seed drills and a milk churn collection to view. The team of shire horses promise to delight our visitors, and they love the spectacle! For people looking for some excitement! …then they need look no further than Tractor Pulling! It is a highly popular demonstration where tractors and even military vehicles take their turn to see how they can pull a heavy sledge. Watch some smoke – and see some sparks fly! Over 240 tractors of various marques (some static) will be on view on the showground. Visitors can take a step back in time, explore original farming skills – and literally live and breathe the past”. Full information and tickets are available online from www.shrewsburysteamrally.co.uk
