2-982-434 - The Print Collector/Heritage Images

The Towcester Flower Show, 1858. 'The pleasant little market-town of Towcester, in Northamptonshire, has recently been enlivened by a floral and horticultural exhibition, by a cattle show, and by a ploughing match-all under the auspices of the Northamptonshire Agricultural Society...The show was held in the grounds of Mr. George Gurney, a short distance from the town, and had every advantage of a beautiful site to recommend it. There was an immense collection of plants, fruits, vegetables, and roots, in the open air. In different parts of the grounds were Edgington's marquees, filled with rarest plants, fruits, and exotics of all kinds. Large groups of elegantly-dressed ladies, the rank and fashion of the neighbourhood, added to the gaiety of the scene...There were vines in pots laden with huge bunches of the finest grapes; apple and pear trees in the same luxurious condition, and a show of dahlias and roses of unexampled splendour; pitcher-plants, and other rarities. One of the marquees was fitted up as an orchestra, in which the band of the 2nd Life Guards played during the exhibition.' From "Illustrated London News", 1858.