Agricultural shows have taken place in the Exhibition Field above Pennycomequick, now part of Central Park, on eight occasions.
The first was the Bath and West Show in 1853, which followed its inaugural event at Taunton the previous year.
The Royal Agricultural Society of England held its show here between 12th and 21st July 1865. The nearest railway station would have been at Millbay which opened in 1849 as the station at North Road did not open until 1877.
The Bath and West Show came to Plymouth again in 1873, 1902, 1922, 1938 and 1958. Attendance figures provided by the Royal Bath and West Society were:
1873 62,000
1902 54,000
1922 58,000
1938 85,000
1958 106,000
The ‘Royal Show’ was held in Plymouth on one other occasion in June 1890. There were plans for it to visit again in 1941 but they had to be cancelled because of the second world war.
