Rural Heritage Calendar

Rural Heritage Calendar Overview

The Rural Heritage calendar conveys a sense of nostalgia for times past with intriguing and beautifully detailed paintings by artists Robin Wheeldon, Malcolm Root and Steven Binks. Developments in agricultural practice, farming techniques and rural traditions are combined with fascinating background information. Agricultural machinery such as tractors, harvester and wagons and animals such as horses, sheep, cows and pigs are portrayed through different decades in this fine artistic calendar.

One painting depicts a Ploughing Match and is entitled A Test of Skill. The idea of testing a horseman's skill by his ability to plough a straight furrow developed during the 18th century. Larger, more formal matches became established where ploughmen could demonstrate their expertise and build up a reputation. Each competitor was given a plot to be ploughed in a given time - the match decided on points awarded by judges at every stage of the work. Ploughing Matches such as these continue today in rural areas.