Essex Country Show
September 8/9th 2007
by Pat Freeman

The 21st show was held at Barleylands, Billericay, Essex, and good weather ensured a bumper crowd, to enjoy a whole host of exhibits and working demonstrations.
   Two demonstations of note were: 'Roadmaking by Steam' and 'Roadmaking by Toys', the latter creating a lot of interest - especially from children.
   John Brice of Norfolk, the organiser of the Roadmaking section, had fenced off a small area of piled-up loose soil so that children of exhibitors could have their own roadmaking display, using toy tractors, diggers and loaders. John hopes this will encourage many youngsters to become preservationists of the future.
   An interesting exhibit in the adult roadmaking area was a 1950 Bristol Crawler PD52 Overloader owned by Frank Wood of Walton Hall museum. It's design allows the bucket to pass over the main body of the crawler so that the work of loading and unloading it into a lorry close up behind could be carried out without the crawler being moved.
   The best part of seventy full-sze engines were in steam at this event, including seven ploughing engines and five showman's engines. There were also about fifty scale models.
   Three 'first time' steam engines were on show: the 1924 Ransomes, Sims and Jefferies Traction Engine, No. 36020, owned by John Forshaw of Clifton, Beds., the Wallis & Steevens Roller Phoebe, No. 8033, belonging to John Hughes of Bearstead, Kent, and the 1921 Aveling & Porter Roller, No. 10017, owned by John Giles of Heybridge, Essex. 
   Three Ruston & Hornsby Steam Rollers and a Wallis & Steevens Petrol Roller were parked together..These were P. Sandy's 1924 Endeavour, No.122338, J. Brice's 1922 Veronica, No. 115123, Simon Vickery's 1929 roller, No.158623, and Jack Vickery's petrol roller, c. 1937 - 43.

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   For one of models, a 4" scale Burrell, it was the first time at Barleylands and the first time it had been in steam since it was bought by Kevin Higgins of Colchester a few weeks previously.. Kevin told me it was for the use of Thomas and Jake, two sons of his brother, Simon, who will eventually play their part in the operation and maintenance of of the family's 1924 Fowler Roller The Highlander, No. 16235, which was also at the show.
   Another scale model of note had been built in Kansas by Tom Terning in 1991 on the instructions of Pat and Glenda Neilson of Ashford in Kent. It was a 6" scale model of a Case Tractor and was received by them in 1992 and they have maintained it spendid condition.

     

    Several exhibitors had travelled a long way to visit the show, at least two of them from overseas. Jean (John) and Julia Tilmans had come from Belgium with their1958 Amman Paving/Asphalt Machine, which was on show in the roadmaking area and Carolina Schriever had travelled from Holland with her little 1905 Wallis & Steevens Tractor, No. 2811; this was working in the Woodsawing area. John Millington had come from Nantwich, a distance of abut 200 miles, with his 1921 Garrett Roller The Baroness, No. 34084. Joseph Orlando Lawley had arrived on site earlier in the week from Churchstoke, Powys, and I watched him erecting his massive c.1900 German-built, Horizontal Frame Saw capable of sawing a tree trunk 50 inches wide and I wondered why its huge connecting rod was made of wood. Joseph said it was due to the weight - as it is now, the saw is capable of 240 r.p.m., with a heavy metal rod it would be only about 100 r.p.m.

     

      

     

 The 22nd Essex Country Show will be on September 13/14th 2008.