Speech House Vintage Show, (10th September, 2017)
This is one of a series of pages which I have uploaded to illustrate facets of steam rallies we have attended in the UK. Such events occur all over the country in the summer months, they are easily found by using your favourite search engine and may have anything between a handful of steam engines and hundreds (as at the Great Dorset Steam Fair which could probably be fairly described as having an excess of riches). Click here for the overall 2017 index.
After my 2015 visit I wrote "This is a relatively new event, in terms of steam it's not so much a small rally as a mini one, being mainly internal combustion orientated and without space for maybe more than half a dozen steam road engines. The venue is splendid, the grounds beside the historic Speech House in the heart of the Forest of Dean and with it being a one day event there is no room for error with the weather."
For 2017, the number of engines was slightly larger owing to some being in the area for the event a week later at the Perrygrove Railway near Coleford. There was no possibility of any steam engine movement as it had rained hard in the week before the show and there was some drizzle on the day too. On such a day it was surprising to see as many visitors as there were However, there was just one steam engine which did move. This was the unique Trotter steam roller, built a few miles from the show site and which had recently been returned to steam after many years in store at the back of the Gloucester Folk Museum. It was well worth the cycle ride to see it running and I would like to give a special word of thanks to Jez Kirkwood whose persistence 'liberated' the roller and whose hard work has got it back running again.
Steam Rollers
General Engines
Trotter's Roller
Today was very much a Kirkwood family affair. There are two short YouTube videos available, bear in mind that these were taken with my still camera:
