Pocklington’s unique Heritage Beanfeast will be just one feature of the town’s four-day heritage festival in Burnby Hall’s community hall, 16-19 November.
The Beanfeast, organised by Pocklington District Heritage Trust on Friday 18 November from 6.30pm, is an evening of Celtic history, music, food and entertainment with a modern twist. There will be an Iron Age recipe supper, and local archaeologist, Dr Peter Halkon, will give a brief talk about the importance of the district’s prehistoric archaeology. The entertainment includes Shiptonthorpe-based performers, Haigha, led by Alan Heaven, who will enact dramatic Celtic stories, poetry and rituals; and Peter Halkon will switch roles to join his popular seven-piece folk band, Shiftipig, for a night of Celtic and Irish music and song. Beanfeast tickets, £15, are available online via Eventbrite, and locally from Moonlight Bedrooms in Railway Street, and from the Burnby Hall Gardens visitor centre.
The community hall setting on The Balk, will also display throughout the festival a pop-up museum of local archaeology artefacts from across the district, along with exhibitions and information about the it’s history and the heritage trust’s work and aims.
A Pocklington District Heritage Trust spokesman said: “We put on a one-day museum and Beanfeast back in 2019, which was a sell-out success. Since then there’s been further remarkable local archaeology, and we have gained much more knowledge about the area’s prehistoric importance; so the time is right to share that information in a bigger format and for all ages to have some fun along the way.”
The heritage festival will open up on Wednesday with a daytime conference titled ‘Recent Developments in Archaeology in Eastern Yorkshire’, with the speakers including Paula Ware talking about the Pocklington chariot finds, presentations on investigations at both Eastfield, from Richard Myerscough, and Hanging Grimston, by Historic England’s Marcus Jecock; and an update from York Archaeological Trust’s, Dr David Knight and Kristina Krawlec about the English Heritage research strategy for the Yorkshire Wolds. Conference tickets are £8 via Eventbrite.
Two days of free entry to the pop-up museum follow on Thursday and Friday, with school parties and the general public all welcome. The museum will showcase notable finds from Pocklington and nearby villages, including Holme-on-Spalding Moor, Nunburnholme, Burnby, Hayton, Barmby Moor, Fangfoss, Bishop Wilton, Givendale and Millington. There will also be static and multi-media displays, and the heritage trust will be publishing a booklet by Peter Halkon at the event – Exploring Pocklington’s Past – that gives an easy-to-read introduction to the archaeology of the town and district.
Saturday’s final day of the festival will again feature the pop-up museum and displays, but is also a special family day of free activities for all ages. There will Celtic dressing up, face painting, children’s archaeology taster activities and workbooks, and a Pocklington horrible history walking tour outlining some of the town’s more gruesome stories.
The Pocklington District Heritage Festival has been supported by an East Riding Council’s Do It For East Yorkshire Community Grant.
