Knowl Hill show

Should be there Sat, also as ornery punter. Usually a good show, though engine display seems to have shrunk in recent years.

I'm lead to believe that the future of the show is uncertain as the land owner is getting fed up with the hassle.

Gentlemen, Daft question were is Knowl Hill Rally?

Martin P

Here:

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Knowl Hill is 30 miles from London and the A4, the road to Bath, goes through the village. At one time Knowl Hill was part of Windsor Forest. A great deal of Roman pottery has been found in the area and excavations records show there was indeed a Roman settlement here. The name of the village comes from ?The Knolle? which was a hill on the south side, crowned with a clump of trees. Windsor Castle can be seen from this spot, as can wide expanses of the surrounding countryside. A charter of St. Mary's Priory in Hurley, mentioned a grant of a portion of land at ?La Cnolle? in 1315.

Later, the London to Bath stage coach trundled through the village until the railways killed that means of transport. Travellers would call at the local inns for rest and refreshment as the horses were changed. Outlines of archways through which the coaches would pass, can still be seen in their bricked-up walls at the front. The premises of farriers and wheelwrights eventually became a couple of cottages. A modern garage on the opposite side of the road had continued the tradition of serving travellers right up to the latter years of the 20th century at least. St. Peter's Church was consecrated in 1841 and enlarged in 1870. It was designed by J.C. Buckler of Oxford, runner-up to Sir Charles Barry in a competition concerning a design for the Houses of Parliament.

The area is mostly agricultural but it also had a brick and tile industry which had been owned by the same family for over a hundred years. In the 1970s, assets for its population of around 700, included a frequent bus service running through the village connecting London, Maiden­head and Reading and an annual Steam and Vintage Vehicle Rally and Fair with proceeds to fund the building of a new village hall. Cricket had always flourished in the village and had been played on the same field since 1890.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Engine pages for preservation info:

I will be there as an exhibitor, I might take the Appletop, or the Lister-Bruston set. Make your requests now...... Len Gillings will be showing the vertical Blackstone. I know the engine line up has suffered over recent years, but Stan Mills is making great efforts to improve matters. As a paying punter, it is a superb show and worth going to anyway. The Saturday night firework display is awesome.

The rumours about its future, or lack of it, have been trotted out for at least the last 15 years, long before John Keeley's death, and I must admit I don't take a great deal of notice :-)

Regards

Philip T-E

Thank you for that Peter, the piece reminded me of a quotation given by Michael Caine once which goes "You only had to blow the Bloody Doors off" :-))

Martin P

Italian Job?

Got the Knowl Hill info from Google...

Peter

-- Peter & Rita Forbes snipped-for-privacy@easynet.co.uk Engine pages for preservation info:

Martin, With all due respect to Peter, What you really want to know is that it's just outside Reading. See you Friday.

John

Don't get me wrong, it is still a good show and one which I have been going to for more years than I care to remember. The sight of all the showman's engines lined up at dusk with light blazing is almost enough to turn even a hardened hot fog sceptic like myself ;-) That said, we haven't actually made it through to the evening session for the last couple of years - must be getting old!

Had a good day out, but once again did not make it through to the evening session. Don't know if I'm suffering from 'rally fatigue' but after a couple of hours just lately my back and hips start aching, my legs feel like lead and I've basically had enough - most disturbing :-(