Description: A film record of the Hillingdon Show at Hillingdon House Farm off Park Road, held in the sweltering summer of 1976 when the temperature reached 90 Fahrenheit. The attendees wear shorts and thin dresses; many men go bare-chested and kids run about in trunks. The film begins on Friday June 25th with shots of marquees and tents the day before the show opens. The voiceover tells the history of the show from its beginnings as the Uxbridge and District Horticultural Show in 1909 before becoming the Hillingdon Show in 1965. Early on Saturday June 26th the show begins in earnest with more trucks arriving bringing in participants in the displays and at 9.30 buses start arriving bringing in the Show goers. Amongst the tented areas there are the marquee for the Hillingdon Show Society, the Southern Electricity marquee, the Courage beer tent, and tents housing the Harrow Youth Choir tent and the Ruislip WEA (Workers Educational Association). The show goers are entertained by a display of the Speedbird pipe band of bagpipers (set to the music of Hawaii 5-0) display, an exhibition of keep fit by members of a Hillingdon Adult Education keep fit class and a show jumping competition. The following day, Sunday June 27th features a rescue display by the Royal Marines and Royal navy showing off a Wessex Mark 5 helicopter. The commentator notes that the helicopter is made by Westland who used to be based in Hayes, and that the marines use of smoke grenades caused confusion for a nearby football match. Elsewhere around the site there is an old fire engine shown in use, children using a zip slide and some javelin throwing. The Southern Counties Heavy Horse Society presents an exhibition of shire horses and old agricultural equipment. A biplane performs an air display and the dangerous looking art of parascending is demonstrated by the Icarus Wings Parascending society with members being launched into the air by a land rover. The Viners Gymnastic Club put on a more earthbound display. Elsewhere there is a display of breeds of cow, a narrow gauge railway, vintage buses taking part in 'Show Bus '76' and F.J. Loades famous Miniature Fun Fair. The film ends with the show over, tents being taken down and piles of litter waiting to be attended to.
Comments
If my dad wasn’t manning the scout games, he’d do a quick costume change & could be found in the police tent, showing off his police dog in their tent with the horses. Because of the heat, they swapped out with fellow officers so the animals weren’t suffering. Dad & his dog (in 76 that would have been Luke) patrolled Uxbridge & Hillingdon in those days and was a familiar face. Plus he & mum were in the Hillingdon musical society, so people knew them through performing at the Winston Churchill hall & Beck Theatre. I had a busy, but fun childhood growing up in Hillingdon.