Barleylands Farm Museum facts for kids
| Location | Barleylands, Billericay, Essex, England |
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Barleylands Farm Museum is a fun place for kids and families. It is located in Barleylands, a village near Billericay in Essex, England. This museum is well-known for its animal care and exciting events. You can enjoy special activities during Easter, Halloween, and Christmas. It's also a popular spot for children's birthday parties.
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Fun Events at Barleylands
The Barleylands showground is a busy place. It hosts many local events and activities. For example, local sports teams use the grounds for training and matches. It is also a venue for weddings and other community gatherings.
The Essex Country Show
For many years, Barleylands Farm hosted a very special event. This was the annual Essex Country Show. It took place every year on the second weekend of September. The show ran from 1986 until 2016.
The Essex Country Show was a big celebration of farming history. It also showed off rural life in England. Visitors could see many old skills being demonstrated. These included spinning wool into thread. People also showed how to make hurdles (fences) and how to work as a blacksmith (shaping metal).
Some very rare skills were also on display. You could see people making coracles, which are small, round boats. There were also demonstrations of clog-making, which is making wooden shoes.
Animals and Machines
Animals were a big part of the show. There were displays of heavy horses, which are large, strong horses. Visitors could watch a sheep shearing show, where sheep lose their wool. There were also demonstrations by working dogs and displays of smaller animals.
The show also featured many impressive machines. About 50 working steam engines were on display. There were also 60 model engines. You could see vintage tractors, old cars, and motorcycles. Model boats sailed on the lake. A special demonstration showed how to thresh grain. Threshing is separating grain from its plant.
Food, Music, and More
The Essex Country Show had something for everyone. There was a special food hall with tasty local treats. Music filled the air, and exciting events took place in the main arena. Craft marquees offered handmade goods. There were also fun amusements, a fairground, and many trade stands.
Sadly, the Essex Country Show stopped in 2016. It closed because the costs to run the event became too high.
