We display to the public the superb machinery (be it tractor or engine) that has been the backbone of the agricultural scene for well over a century.

Engines for working corn mills, dryers, milking lines, pumping water and hundreds of other uses have been used in agriculture ever since the internal combustion engine was perfected. Tractors have been around from the time when the first steam driven vehicle came on the scene –most of them were giant sized steam driven machines in the early days and not too practical on a farm of small acreage with small fields, but they were gradually reduced in size to the type of tractor most of us are familiar with nowadays when the internal combustion engine was introduced – although the trend is now being reversed, as farms become larger, and bigger horse power and hence larger machines  once again become commonplace.

In the stationary engine section, we display what are commonly called “barn engines”, single or multiple cylinder engines used on the farm, in quarries and pumping stations. You will find all the classic makers, for example, Lister, Ruston & Hornsby, Petter, Amanco and so on. They will usually be powering other agricultural machinery like a corn mill, a generator set, a water pump or even a vertical drill. These engines were in use on nearly every farm in the late 19^th and early 20^th centuries and we are demonstrating their preservation and uses. The winner in this section receives the Hope Valley Round Table Trophy.

Visitors to the tractor section will see a good variety of machines and agricultural equipment on the tractor preservation scene, all of which will be at least 25 years old. If you have one that you would like to exhibit, just contact us or download an entry form from this website and we will try to accommodate you..... big or small, petrol, diesel or even steam.  If you have something truly old you have a chance to win the John Hall Award for best pre- 1945. If it is a Ferguson, you are eligible for the Bywater Trophy. In this class there is always a good selection of implements to inspect, since Harry Ferguson invented so many pieces of additional equipment to work with his tractors. The overall winner in the Tractor display receives (for one year) the House of Anton Challenge Cup.