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Broadstone Horticultural Society – a brief history


Original records have been lost over time, but we believe that the Society was formed in 1905. The Poole and Dorset Herald reported that the first Show was held in 1906, in the Waterman fields in Broadstone. It was called the Flower and Poultry Show and was opened by Mr and Mrs Waterman who owned the location of the Show. The Waterman fields are still used for village events and are now within the Broadstone Conservation Area (see link below)


The inaugural Show included classes such as Professional Gardeners, Amateur Gardeners, Cottagers, Fruit and Flowers and Ladies only! One of the contributors to this first show was Alfred Russel Wallace, a famous Victorian naturalist, who collaborated with Charles Darwin on the ‘Theory of Evolution’. Wallace exhibited a South American air plant which would have been quite an exotic plant for 1906!


Apart from the War years, the Summer Show has been held annually since 1906. The Shows are well attended, and the Mayor of Poole has presented the awards and prizes for many years. Several of the Society’s founding members and early committee members have donated trophies to be awarded at the Society’s shows. A Spring Show was first held in 1948 and ran annually until 2012.



Broadstone Horticultural Society became affiliated to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) in 1947. This entitles the RHS Banksian Medal to be awarded to the person who gains the highest number of points in the Show. The first winner was Mrs Osman Brown in 1948.


Membership numbers of the Society have fluctuated over the years. Records from 1948 mention numbers at 430; in recent years we have stabilised at around 120 members.


A large part of the life of Broadstone Horticultural Society has been our monthly meetings. Most meetings comprise of a guest speaker (usually on a horticultural/natural world theme) a raffle, plant sale, refreshments and table competitions. Table competitions provide a chance to practise, discover techniques and tips for exhibiting at Shows. The member who gains the most points in the table competitions between September and May will be awarded with the Halestrap Memorial Rose Bowl to keep for a year. Visitors are always made welcome to meetings. We are proud of our friendly reputation and someone will always be on hand to provide hints or answer gardening questions. Our Annual General Meetings are now followed by a Gardeners’ Question Time panel who answer and solve all sorts of gardening queries.


We hold our meetings, and since 2010, our Summer Show, at the Broadstone War Memorial Hall. One of our past Presidents, Mr de Courcy Hughes, was also Chairman of the Broadstone War Memorial Fund. Our records show that some of the funds raised at the 1946 Flower Show were donated towards the building of Broadstone War Memorial Hall.





Presidents:

1905 – 1909 Mr W. E. Waterman

1910 – 1968 Dr J. C. A. Norman

1969 – 1971 Mrs C. M. Blaker

1972 – 1985 Mrs D. Maginess

1986 – 1990 Mrs Olive Jackson

1990 – 2004 Mr Tom Davey

2004 – 2007 Mr Ivor Phillips

2007 – now Mr Robin Hill


Chairmen:

1946 Mr V. de Courcy Hughes

1951 Mr Cyril C. Carter (of Poole Pottery)

1970 Col. W. A. Hardy

1986 Mr Tom Davey

1996 Cllr. Les Burden

2015 Mr Brian Woolgar

2019 Mrs Yvonne Arnold

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Updated: Mar 23, 2021


We look forward to our outings with our Broadstone Horticulture members, but unfortunately they may be more local than normal this year. We will let you know when we can get out our sun hats and venture out somewhere lovely.


In the meantime, remember we are very lucky to live in such a beautiful place, especially as the daffodils start to poke through. Whether you are able to take a dog for a little walk around the park, a short stroll across the beach or just in the garden please remember to love the little things.


Being in nature is so good for our wellbeing, and even just saying hello to the visiting birds and bees in some way makes us feel better.

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Updated: Jul 24, 2022



Our next Summer Show will be held on Saturday 13th August 2022. Details of all the competition classes can be found in our show schedule. Everyone is welcome to visit the show. There are stalls to look at and enjoy - raffle, tombola, cake sales, plant sales and refreshments as well as the competition displays. Entries are accepted from members and non-members of the Society. We're very keen to encourage new exhibitors and are happy to answer questions and provide guidance - just contact us!


We are delighted to have received sponsorship from a local manufacturing company - Superior. This means that our show running costs will be covered. We're very grateful to Superior.





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 CONTACT US:     01202 695873      bhs-show@outlook.com

How your information will be used:

Your email address will only be used to send you information about the Society such as newsletters or meetings.

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We will not share your email address with third parties. 

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