The Shillingstone Station's connection with the birth of the Great Dorset Steam Fair

The year 2002 sees the Great Dorset Steam Fair celebrate its 34th year with this year’s five day event taking place from 28th August until 1st September on the 500 acre site at Tarrant Hinton, Nr. Blandford. The show is now widely recognised as the leading event of its type in the country and, indeed, in Europe and the world and is regularly attended by up to 200,000 visitors from both the UK and abroad. It all began following the closure of the old Somerset and Dorset Joint Railway in 1966, which ran from Bath to Bournemouth. As the last steam trains left Shillingstone Station,  Michael Oliver, a farmer from the nearby village of Child Okeford was filming with his cine camera. The ‘Somerset and Dorset’ had always been close to Michael’s heart. All his life he had used the railway whether it was to catch the train to school in Blandford or to take a trip down to Bournemouth.

After the final train steamed out of the station at Shillingstone and the line was closed, several of Michael’s friends said that he ought to show his cine film one evening in the local village hall. Michael agreed that this was a good idea and he arranged a social evening to take place a couple of months later. The evening was so well attended that Michael had to show the film the following weekend as well.

From the demise of the old railway Michael was convinced that there was enough interest to form a club for steam enthusiasts. Michael would be secretary. The new club was named the Dorset Steam and Historic Vehicle Club and had its first gathering in a small field at Shaftesbury where three or four steam traction engines and a few old vintage cars and bits and pieces were on display. The field was owned by Mr Ted Hines, who was also the owner of the superbly restored Showman’s steam engine ‘Quo Vadis’.

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To visit the great Dorset Fair website - please click here:-

http://www.steam-fair.co.uk/