July/August 2026
Earlier this year, The Melplash Agricultural Society introduced their 2026 President, Peter Hardwill from Blackdown in the Parish of Broadwindsor.
As this year’s Melplash Show draws closer, Annette Shaw catches up with Peter to hear about his fondness for the farming of yesterday and hopes for the future…
The Bridge: You speak with great pride about your appointment as President; it clearly means a lot to you.
Peter Hardwill: Yes, it does. I’m a fully-fledged octogenarian and when I was approached about being President, well, I didn’t hesitate. It’s a tremendous privilege to share what I’ve learned over decades. And to see the next generation come through. I’m also looking forward to the actual day and watching the various classes and judging. People from all walks of life really do come together and it’s heartwarming to be part of it.
TB: Although you’re a farmer born and bred, the family business you founded in 1966 still continues. What’s the exact nature of this?
PH: Peter Hardwill Ltd is a family-run steel fabrication, structural engineering & building contractors in Beaminster supplying turn-key solutions. I set the original boundaries at the outset – meaning it’s very much a Dorset business. West of Bournemouth, south of Bristol and east of Exeter.
TB: How does engineering fit into a background in farming?
PH: With hindsight, I always had an interest in making and mending. When I was three my maternal grandmother gave me a wheelbarrow, sign-written like my grandfather’s agricultural wagon. Doing jobs on the farm was second nature, and slowly opportunities cropped up to enable me to pursue this. At the age of eight I drove a tractor!
TB: How did the switch to all things mechanical begin?
PH: At Beaminster Grammar School I took an O-level in agriculture. With extra lessons in metalwork and carpentry it wasn’t long before I became known for fixing things and was inspired to set up a little workshop at home. For example, our farm was very wet. This was years before we had excavators but I managed to construct a land drain.
TB: You must have seen so many changes in terms of technology. Can we talk about what stands out for you?
PH: Let’s go back in time! I was born in 1943 when we still had loose haymaking using pitchforks. There were no combines or balers. That continued unto the end of the 1950s when the move into more sophisticated mechanisation kept on coming. Dairies were automated and milking cows by hand became a thing of the past. The whole industry evolved, with sophisticated fertilisers increasing crop yields. We grew more and more as farming entered a new era.
TB: Can you expand on the shift into engineering?
PH: On leaving school I worked with my father on the family farm. By chance, and although I was living in Dorset, two friends who shared my interest encouraged me to pop over the border to Somerset and join Crewkerne Young Farmers and to enrol on an engineering course at Yeovil College. Again, it’s all those small things that are cumulative. Young Farmers was a good grounding in learning skills such as public speaking and developing a business mindset.
TB: You mention the up-and-coming farmers and your hopes. How do you actively lend your support and what will be your legacy as President?
PH: I’m passionate about the Melplash Agricultural Society’s Discover Farming project and how showing primary school children about growing food and farming can last a lifetime. At Washingpool Farm there’s a classroom available as part of the educational programme set up and operated by the society. We donated what’s known as the Hardwill Building, providing much-needed shelter at the site and allowing more outdoor sessions for visiting pupils. On one occasion the guest chef, Andy Tyrell from Soulshine, had them pick nettles, peel potatoes and make a delicious soup. There were sessions on how to pull radishes and pick a lettuce without damaging the roots. From sowing the seeds of a career in this sector to appreciating the importance of growing and cooking good food for health, our local children are given insights and rural memories that could change their lives.
P H Hardwill Ltd is now in its 60th year and has been managed by Peter’s sons, Philip and Michael, since Peter’s retirement at the age of 70. The company will have a trade stand at this year’s Melplash Show to mark its 60th anniversary.
The National Federation of
Young Farmers’ Clubs is a community for young people to
gain hands-on experience and meet like-minded people.
More information about the Discover Farming project at Washingpool Farm.
This year’s Melplash Show is on Thursday 27 August. Advance tickets are available online as well as from a number of outlets including Bridport TIC.