EAST PRESTON & KINGSTON
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY

East Preston's first Flower Show was held in 1928, organised by a Committee, but no actual Society existed.  The aim was to hold an annual show of fruit, flowers, vegetables, cookery and handicraft. Over the years the Flower Show has been held in different locations, including the school at Lashmar Road during the 1970s. 

 

The cost of holding the Show was fairly high as it included the hire of at least one marquee (and sometimes more than one, according to the minutes of a committee meeting held in the 1950s).  In turn it was necessary to pay for security to protect the marquees and their contents from theft and vandalism during the night before the Show, when everything but the actual exhibits had been set up.  To overcome the problem of the Flower Show being financially unviable, the Spring Show was introduced in 1978, the Golden Jubilee year, taking advantage of the different flowers and produce available in that season, and the first Rose Show was held in June the following year.  These shows were – and still are - able to break even because they are small enough to be held in one hall and do not require the  expenditure of hiring a band and other entertainments that greatly contribute to the atmosphere of the Summer Show.  Gradually other events were added to the calendar.

 

Even today our main Flower Show, held on the first Saturday in August, at the village hall complex and Warren recreation ground, is usually subsidised by the other events held throughout the year.  Prior to the pandemic, each year consisted of three Flower Shows, three talks, two coach outings, a Coffee and Doughnut morning with Bric-a-Brac and plant sale, Quiz Night, and Gardeners’ Question Time.  Each year one of the coach outings was to Wisley, the time of year varying in order to allow members to experience the gardens in different seasons.   With the exception of the Summer Show and the outings, all the events took place in the Conservative Hall.  All of this was suspended during much of 2020 and 2021 but we were able to resume in August 2021 with our Summer Flower Show, and we are hoping that normal progress will not need to be interrupted again.

 

The current membership is around 200 households and the cost is just £5 a year.  Because membership belongs to the household this means that there are significantly more than 200 actual members.  It is not necessary to belong to the Society in order to compete in the shows or attend the meetings but members benefit by being kept in touch by newsletter and by the availability of discounts at Arundel Arboretum, Culberry Nursery Ltd and Lansdowne Nursery.

 

The name was changed in 1988 – the Diamond Jubilee year – to reflect the fact that the Society now existed for reasons other than exclusively to hold an annual Flower Show, although that remains our flagship event and the major purpose of the Society.