Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2014/January 2015 | Page 68

COUNTRY LIFE

Gilding the

Gilten
T

he Gilten Market has been an
integral part of the build-up
to Christmas on the Isle of
Wight for more than 150 years.
The Island is also the only place
in the UK to stage a Gilten Market,
which is traditionally held during
the first week of December. Lake
Farm, Rookley hosted this year’s
Gilten Market, bringing together
members of the Island’s farming
industry to witness gilding the
horns of the winning steer, called
the Gilten Beast, with gold paint.
For many years the ceremony has
been performed by the Isle of Wight
High Sheriff, and this year it was
the turn of the current High Sheriff,
Claire Locke to gild the horns.
Holding the market at the
beginning of December encourages
Island farmers to produce top
quality beef for the local butchers

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Beast

to buy for Christmas. The first Fat
Stock Exhibition was organised
by the Isle of Wight Agricultural
Society on December 11, 1861,
and has been held at a number of
venues over the years, eventually
moving to Lake Farm following the
closure of Brickfields.