Hollycombe sizzled in the Whitsun bank holiday sunshine, when the Liphook attraction staged a steam festival alongside its popular fairground rides and steam railways.

A number of special steam engines and rollers were present, which allowed visitors to get up close and appreciate the workings of these mighty machines.

Traction engines and steam tractors were employed on the roads to move goods from place to place, with all types of loads carried from light goods to heavy haulage.

Usually goods would be loaded onto one or more four wheeled trailers which would be attached behind an engine.

For particularly heavy loads, two or more engines would be connected behind each other to provide additional power, sometimes with another engine behind the load to provide extra braking.

Hollycombe has two steam rollers on site, a Wallis & Steevens Simplicity roller Christopher of 1932 and David, an Aveling & Porter 10-ton roller built in 1921.

Hollycombe trustee Brian Gooding was delighted with the weekend’s success.

He told The Herald: “The event went off without a hitch and we were blessed with perfect weather, escaping the storms that hit other parts of the county.

“We are certainly at our busiest this year, and have received very good feedback both from visitors and exhibitors, which is very rewarding.

“The only way we stage these events is with the help and willingness of our volunteers, so a big thank-you to them all.

“After the bank holiday weekend we are looking forward to the mechanical organ gathering on July 14 and 15, and to running the fairground on Sundays and bank holidays throughout the summer.”

Hollycombe also prides itself for its listed Victorian woodland gardens, planted by Liphook-based civil engieer Col John Clarke Hawkshaw – which provide a quiet retreat away from the buzz of the fairground where visitors can relax and explore the many rare plants and trees.