Barleylands RIP
 

Heard the rumours earlier this week but now got the letter from the Philpott family. Barleylands 2016 was the last one. Really sad as this was always a fantastic weekend with loads to do and see.

That is sad it was a nice mixed rally, any reason given?

Usual,ones. Increased costs, less exhibitors, tight margins. Not meant as a criticism of the Philpott family at all as it was always a great event and they always came round to thank all the exhibitors personally. Lovely rally and will always have good memories of it. Didn't think it was one on the endangered list though

By all accounts there will be other steam events at Barleylands so watch this space.......

I hope so. We will support it

I stopped going as a spectator when the rally organisers cut the number of full size steam engines it was willing to accept as exhibitors.

Well this year was my first time and I thought it was a cracking event. Great pity that it was the last one but I hope your right and there are future steam events.
Barry

Sorry to drag this up, I was looking for posts on barleylands.

I went for a few years in a row as a young child when I was around 6-9 years old but parents stopped taking us there, then in 2014 and 15 I was planning to go but stuff came up, thankfully I was able to go last year but never once thought it would be the last one so I'm thoroughly glad I went with hindsight.

Considering how busy the place was, as with most of these events I think there's more to it than the reasons given, increased costs can be overcome with increased entry prices but as mentioned there was no shortage of visitors it was busy and carpark full.

But as it's not on this year after going last year I miss it already, having gone last year it brought back many memories of the enjoyment I got as a child, I loved seeing the ploughing engines, the traction engines powering the threshing machine, the wood saws etc, seeing horses ploughing the fields, the miniature pumping engines, the steam fair, the miniature and full size traction engines as well as the events they did like the slow race etc. Lol

But as above as a child I remember there being more steam but even with the smaller numbers it was still nice.

This year I went to orsett show again and noticed the reduced numbers of steam traction engines there as well, suspect some went to orsett show before barleylands as some was at both events but now no barleylands maybe some think it's no longer worth going to orsett show being its smaller 1 day event.

Even more a shame was that the ploughing pair owned by the family, it was the first year both had been in operation together after 1 fell off a lorry and had to undergo extensive repair.

Even if they will be doing steam events in the future, and I hope they will it may not include the same things the show did like the ploughing demonstrations thresher and saw mill etc or the fair or miniature pumping engines :(

I think that they have a direction with their business they want to go; maybe they want the land for other purposes, seems to coincide with them getting rid of their miniature steam trains also, which went to Barnard's miniature railway in the same year.


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If its known to be the last event, people often make the effort to go "one last time", making it very busy.

I've known this to happen for all sorts of events,

Barleylands RIP
 

I don't think it was widely publicly known, reading back through this looks like they sent out letters to machine owners, but publicly there was no mention on local signs that it would be the last one nor in local paper etc.

First I knew about it was when the organisers of the orsett show posted it a few days after barleylands, but there was no direct post from the organisers of barleylands themselves, not even on their Facebook page. So I assumed the decision was made after the event, but the letters they sent out seem to suggest it was beforehand already decided but I didn't see anything at all locally about it being the last

Then a few months later I saw Barnard's miniature railway posting they had purchased the miniature steam train stock from barleylands. They have since sold on 1 of the trains.




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