Pocklington District Heritage Trust was formed to promote and showcase heritage in the town of Pocklington and consists of representatives from local heritage groups, plus schools, town and unitary councils, archaeologists and interested and expert individuals.

The Pocklington District Heritage Trust initially came together in 2015 as an informal partnership to explore and promote the district’s heritage possibilities; and gained official trust status as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation in 2020. The Trust has seen remarkable support and interest from the local community – some 6,000 people so far have signed our petition to create a local museum, while over 2,000 have attended our talks and events – and many thousands more have followed the story of the Pocklington finds via popular television programmes, such as ‘Digging for Britain’, national press coverage, and through academic conferences and publications.

The project’s ambitious but realistic aim is to capture all of the above and more. We want to create a sustainable heritage hub in Pocklington for the whole district that enhances its sense of place, augments the local visitor experience; and encourages people, especially students and schoolchildren, to learn more about the area and go on to explore the wider Wolds and other East Riding attractions.

While the Iron Age finds will be at the forefront of the museum displays, the excavation adjacent to The Mile also uncovered Neolithic artefacts and a rare mid-Saxon settlement, stated as being one of less than a dozen such sites in Britain. However, we are determined to go further than this and produce displays that showcase all eras of the district’s history – some 12,000 years of continuous settlement.  We have identified local artefacts that represent every period from pre-historic to present day, including being offered an archive of over 8,000 local old photographs from circa 1860 onwards, which is the district’s biggest and most diverse archive of life in the Victorian and Edwardian periods. The town’s association with the emancipator, William Wilberforce, is another highlight that can be brought to the attention of a wider audience. The value of Pocklington’s heritage and landscape has long been recognised, but until now we have not had the focus to showcase it.

The objectives of the Museum project are:

• Preserve and showcase Pocklington district’s rich heritage from all eras.
• Develop a Museum capable of curating the internationally significant Iron Age and Bronze Age finds from Burnby Lane, the Mile and other sites near to where they were found.
• Create a local heritage centre that tells the whole story of the district, covering all eras in a way that interests and informs visitors, residents and students alike.
• Maintain and expand access to an archive of the district’s heritage including old photographs.
• Encourage visitors to Pocklington and the wider area, working in partnership with other visitor attractions.
• Engage the local community with events, and with publications.
• Encourage local volunteers to participate.

There are currently 9 Trustees, who between them bring a wealth of knowledge of local history, archaeology and heritage, financial and business planning, marketing and communications.

The objectives of the Trust are:

To be strategically-driven, mission-focused and well managed.

To create and maintain a representative and authoritative collection of artefacts and records pertaining to the heritage of Pocklington and the wider district, focusing on a 10 km radius of the town, and to achieve the highest possible standards of conservation.

To put Pocklington on the map and provide access to the Trust’s collection, informing and educating current and future generations.

To build and maintain a diversified and sustainable funding base that enables the Trust to achieve long-term financial viability.

To maintain the Trust’s financial and legal affairs in good order, complying with all the requirements of company and charity law.

To maintain a supporter and staffing structure that enables the Trust to meet its aims, objectives and responsibilities.

To develop a strong, inclusive brand image to local residents, visitors and the academic community and present the Trust in the optimum light to existing and potential stakeholders and opinion-formers.