This was our second visit to Heckington Show as part of a display of stationary engines put on in the main by members of the Lincolnshire Oil Engine Club together with a few guests. This is a Sunday-only display for most due to the area used being part of a dog-show on the Saturday. However, with the exception of the bygones, the other vintage elements are presumably on show both days.

There was a representative display of engines including Stuart Turner, Petter, Wolseley, Ruston Hornsby, JAP, Lister & Fowler from the UK, Amanco & International Harvester from the USA and Bernard from France. Corn mills, cattle cake mills & water pumps were the order of the day for working demonstrations. Across in the marquee, bygone displays of woodworking tools, drainage pipes, oil tins, petrol cans, kitchen ephemera, biscuit tins, model railway layouts complimented the engines.

Elsewhere on the showground, the tractors demonstrated their ploughing craft alongside the horses. Ferguson, Porsche, David Brown, Fordson, Fowler, Nuffield, Kendall, Massey Ferguson, International McCormick Deering Farmall, Ford, Ferrari, John Deere, Caterpillar, Allis Chalmers, Field Marshall & Leyland were all represented, together with a smattering of horticultural machinery. Working displays of wood sawing, threshing & baling were also very well presented.

The Boston classic car club had a display tucked away behind the trade stands incorporating Rolls Royce, Trojan, Riley, Wolseley, Austin, Morris, Triumph, Ford, Rover, Austin Healey, Jaguar, Humber & MG. Elsewhere a smattering of commercial vehicles including RJ’s “thrupenny-bit” cabbed Morris FG, Thames Trader, Leyland Hippo, Ford Thames 300E and Commer Cob plus a Bedford CA ice-cream van added a bit of variety.

The show itself is a traditional agricultural style show with marquees of prized vegetables, flower arrangements, cakes and baking, etc to view. Outside, there are rare breed livestock classes, show jumping and equestrian events in the main arena, numerous catering stalls, indeed a food village, offering exotic delights such as ostrich and venison burgers, paella, mousaka, etc. to their discerning clientele. It all goes to ensure the success of Great Britain’s oldest and biggest village show.