On 19th October 1908 a group of local farmers met in the Swan Hotel in Alresford and by the end of the evening the Alresford and District Agricultural Association was formed!
The first AGM was held in January 1909 when a committee was formed and then on 9th December 1909 the first show took place. There were entries of cattle, horses, sheep, pigs, butter, eggs, pulled corn and roots. The show was held on the cramped sloping fields in The Dean.
Although the Alresford Show is an annual event, there have been gaps in its history, with no shows between 1914-1919 and 1940-1944 due to the First and Second World Wars.
Also, due to outbreaks of foot and mouth disease, the shows in 1925, 1939 and 1952 also had to be cancelled.
In October 1920 the Show venue moved from The Dean to Arlebury Park where it stayed until the Second World War.
In 1921 the timing of the event was moved to late August/early September, so that the harvest was over, the Autumn sowing was yet to begin and to save on the cost of providing more shelter.
After the Second World War, when the show resumed in 1945 it was held at Manor Farm in Bishops Sutton where it stayed until 1950.
From 1951 to 1958 the show was held in the Rectory Glebe (now part of the Nursery Road estate). Then for just one year it decamped to a field at the foot of Sun Lane and then in 1960 dropped anchor at the picturesque Tichborne Park, (a mile or so south of the town) where it has been to this day.
