Hayling Island Horticultural Society was founded in 1886. It is run by its members for its members. We have in excess of 900 households as members, including many who live off the island.
The subscription is just £4.00 per family per annum. Having a garden is not essential: a number of our members live in flats.
We offer a thriving Trading Centre where members can purchase gardening supplies at favourable prices, three shows a year, talks and demos, organised day trips, 4 newsletters a year and an organised holiday, plus of course, friendly advice for gardeners.
THE STORY OF THE HAYLING ISLAND HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY
The population of the Island seems to change and increase far more than it used to, and the past becomes an increasingly distant memory. It seems to be a good idea periodically to revisit the past and remind ourselves of things that have been. We are fortunate in our Society to have a good archive and a great deal of this article comes from there.
Even though we celebrated the Centenary of the Society in 1986, that year was in fact the anniversary of the first Show. Nobody really knows when it started or how. Perhaps it was as simple as an arrangement between a group of allotment gardeners to buy seeds and fertiliser.
The first Show was very much led by the Big Houses and their professional gardeners and was a major social event on the Island with 90 exhibitors, and the 200 prizes included such things as coal, meat, tobacco and tools, the day being rounded off by fireworks, sports, first aid displays and marching displays. The Shows continued as a highlight of Island life until the start of the Great War in 1914.
Before the Great War, Shows were held first in the grounds of the McEuen family house – Westfield – on the corner of Beach Road and the Sea Front. Later Shows were held in the Victoria Hall in Beach Road (since demolished), Hayling Common near the Royal Hotel, St Mary’s Church Hall and the British Legion.
In 1918 when the war ended, local gardening interest changed from the Big Houses to the great number of allotments and the name of the Society was changed to the Hayling Island Allotment Society. The Society was the proud owner of its own marquee. It is easy to forget how much land was given over to allotments. One area stretched from the site of the British Legion to the end of Palmerston Road all the way to Pond Head.
Between the Wars, Shows were held under RHS rules, and a Silver Challenge Cup, the Society’s oldest trophy, was first presented in 1920. The Second World War interrupted the Society’s progress, and when peace came in 1945, the event was celebrated with a very successful Show in the British Legion and its grounds, which included a Baby Show, a fancy Dress Competition, side shows and ended with a Dance. At this time the name was changed to the Hayling Allotment and Gardening Association which remained its name until 1956 when it reverted to its original name of Hayling Island Horticultural Society.
The number of Shows increased to four, being held in a variety of places such as the British Legion and Co-operative Halls, the URC Hall, Mengham Middle School, and most recently the Community Centre.
The event which had most impact on the story of the society was the formation in 1974 of the Trading Centre in the stable block of the old Tudor Vicarage. The field which is now known as the Legion Field used to be called Vicarage Field and the ultimate landlord of the Trading Centre is still the Diocese. Before its formation, membership was less than 100. By the time the Centenary year arrived in 1986 it had reached 1,000 with a waiting list, and was limited only by space in the Trading Centre building. Since then, thanks to the advent of universal Sunday trading and large garden centres, membership has reduced a little. The success of the Trading Centre with its remarkable band of unpaid volunteers enabled the Society to finance an excellent programme of lectures by renowned Horticulturalists, and to stage very high quality Shows.
Perhaps the most recent highlight of the Society’s history was the Centenary year in 1986. This started with an appearance of Society members on Gardener’s Question Time, and continued with a rolling programme of Open Gardens when 25 members opened their gardens, large and small, to the public over 6 weekends in the summer, all in aid of the RNLI when over £4,000 was raised. The next big event was the Main Summer Show which was held in an extra large marquee in Hayling Park, with side events and demonstrations in the Community Centre. Many of the original 1886 prizes, such as a bag of coal and a leg of lamb were in the overall prize list and one exhibitor did a magnificent and meticulously researched display of vegetables and fruit which were likely to have appeared in the first Show. At this time the Society funded a big tree planting event in Hayling Park, opened by the Mayor of Havant. The final event was a Centenary Dinner which filled the Community Centre and included a film of all the Open Gardens and a topical musical sketch written by a member, Phil Whitley, who in his younger days was a professional script write for radio and television, including the Two Ronnies.
There has been no major event since then, but the society remains in good heart with many awards for the Shows, a varied and enterprising programme of talks, excellent visits to places of interest, a successful Trading Centre which always needs more volunteers and more use by members, and an informative and high quality Newsletter.
With greatful thanks to Sir John Lea, Past Chairman and President of H.I.H.S.