1877. 1878. 1879. 1880. 1881. 1882. 1883.
No. of Visitors 53,501 65,830 38,536 47,321 55,361 50,226
Receipts £1,673 £1,997 £1,206 £1,585 £1,815 £1,665

[Transcriber's note: No figures are given in the original for 1883 in this table.]

In addition to the Christmas Cattle Show, the Society commenced in March, 1869, a separate exhibition and sale of pure-bred shorthorns, more than 400 beasts of this class being sent every year. Indeed, the last show is said to have been the largest ever held in any country. The value of the medals, cups, and prizes awarded at these cattle shows averages nearly £2,400 per year, many of them being either subscribed for or given by local firms and gentlemen interested in the breeding or rearing of live stock. One of the principal of these prizes is the Elkington Challenge Cup, valued at 100 guineas, which, after being won by various exhibitors during the past ten years, was secured at the last show by Mr. John Price, who had fulfilled the requirements of the donors by winning it three times. Messrs. Elkington & Co. have most liberally given another cup of the same value. In 1876, for the first time since its establishment in 1839, the Royal Agricultural Society held its exhibition here, the ground allotted for its use being seventy acres at the rear of Aston Hall, twenty-five acres being part of the Park itself. That it was most successful may be gathered from the fact that over 265,000 persons visited the show, which lasted from July 19th to 24th.

Poultry forms part of the Bingley Hall Exhibition, and numerically the largest portion thereof, as per the table of entries, which is well worth preserving also for showing when new classes of birds have been first penned:

1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882
Brahma Pootras 407 258 366 376 362 439 429
Dorkings 167 178 220 209 194 238 277
Cochin 331 415 412 433 421 431 412
Langshans -- -- -- 49 66 49 47
Malay 63 38 49 47 48 36 43
Creve Coeur 93 117 94 38 28 33 24
Houdans -- -- -- 56 65 54 71
La Fleche -- -- -- -- -- -- 12
Spanish 48 33 45 27 32 31 37
Andalusians -- -- -- 16 23 29 43
Leghorns -- -- -- 25 12 20 17
Plymouth Rocks -- -- -- -- -- 17 20
Minorcas -- -- 7 8 6 9 3
Polish 78 76 98 91 83 98 63
Sultans -- -- -- 6 7 8 6
Silkies -- -- -- -- -- 11 7
Game 351 341 314 241 267 287 353
Aseels -- -- -- 27 28 20 11
Hamburghs 148 175 145 159 129 141 153
Other Breeds 35 47 126 20 20 21 7
Selling Classes -- -- -- 66 90 93 102
Bantams 95 63 82 70 105 96 105
Ducks 100 102 115 137 163 144 141
Geese 21 21 31 22 31 21 23
Turkeys 95 96 52 82 67 81 60
Pigeons 670 629 715 702 815 903 838







Total 2072 2569 2873 2899 3062 3316 3325

Fanciers give wonderfully strange prices sometimes. Cochin China fowls had but lately been introduced, and were therefore "the rage" in 1851-2. At the Poultry Show in the latter year a pair of these birds were sold for £30, and at a sale by auction afterwards two prize birds were knocked down at £40 each: it was said that the sellers crowed louder than the roosters.

Fine Art.—The first exhibition of pictures took place in 1814, and the second in 1827. In addition to the Spring and Autumn Exhibitions at the New Street Rooms, there is now a yearly show of pictures by the members of the "Art Circle," a society established in 1877, for promoting friendship among young local artists; their first opening was on Nov. 28, at 19, Temple Row. On Nov. 17, 1879, Mr. Thrupp commenced a yearly exhibition of China paintings, to which the lady artists contributed 243 specimens of their skill in decorating porcelain and china.

Horses and hounds.—The first exhibition of these took place at the Lower Grounds, Aug. 12, 1879. There had been a Horse Show at Bingley Hall for several years prior to 1876, but it had dropped out for want of support.

Birds.—An exhibition of canaries and other song birds, was held Aug. 18, 1874. Another was held in 1882, at the time of the Cattle Show.

Pigeons.—The first exhibition of pigeons in connection with the Birmingham Columbarian Society, took place in Dec., 1864. The annual Spring pigeon show at the Repository, opened March 20,1878. There have also been several at St. James' Hall, the first dating Sept. 24, 1874.