The National Shire Horse Centre

The National Shire Horse Centre opens its doors

The National Shire Horse Centre in Yealmpton in Devon's South Hams opens its fields to a visit by local schoolchildren a day before its official opening. The visitor attraction aims to educate and inform about Britain's agricultural past from soil cultivation to growing crops and raising livestock. The children witness a demonstration of heavy horse ploughing and meet a day old foal.

The Shire as it was known becomes a top UK attraction. The Centre not only boasts overly large horses but a forge with a blacksmith, saddlers, a wheelwright, a butterfly farm, a pets corner and a birds of prey show. The centre runs into financial difficulties and is forced to close in 2000. The Shire Horse is also known as a cart horse or draught horse because it is used to pull heavy loads particularly carts of beer barrels to public houses. The Shire is still linked to traditional breweries. There are different sub breeds such as Suffolk Punch, Percheron or Clydesdale and many societies have been set up to ensure breed survival. The site was used in the comedy Hard Times (2009) aka Holy Water.