History of The Society

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The Society was originally formed in 1903 as The Pluckley and Little Chart Gardening Society with members drawn from both villages. The society holds a number of cups from that era. During the Second World War the society's activities lapsed.   

The Pluckley Gardening Society restarted in January 1951. The first post-war Flower and Vegetable Show was held in the Parish Hall on Saturday 7th July with Mr Woolley of Hothfield, Mr Reeder of Eastwell Park and Mr Steele of Wateringbury Place Gardens as judges. The show was deemed a success and the society continued on from there.  

Spring and Autumn shows were added to the events and were held on Friday evenings in The Dering Arms.  After the village hall was rebuilt in 1960 the venue for all shows was moved there. The photo above was published in the local paper in 1968.  

In the early days funds were low and jumble sales, coffee mornings, whist drives and dances were held to raise funds. One of the more popular features of the jumble sales was the plant stall.  Profits subsidised the annual outings, the shows and the occasional flower festivals.  

In the late 1990s and early 2000's member numbers increased with new members coming from both Egerton and Pluckley and in 2013 the society became known as the Pluckley with Egerton Gardening Society, now Pluckley and Egerton Garden Society.  Members and the committee are drawn from both villages and events held in both places.  As of October 2024 membership of the society has reached a total of 109 households.