pocklington town

situated at the foot of the yorkshire wolds, officially twined with le pays de racan (france) and unofficially with trendelburg (germany)
has a population of 7632 and is steadly growing!

Pocklington gets its name via the Old English “Poclintun” from the anglian settlement of Pocel’s (or Pocela’s) people and the Old English word “tun” meaning farm or settlement, but though the town’s name can only be traced back to around 650 AD, the inhabitation of Pocklington as a site is thought to extend back a further 1,000 years or more to the Bronze Age.
in the iron age pocklington was the regional capital of the Parisi tribe, and by the time of the domesday book in 1086 it was the second largest settlement in Yorkshire, after York itself.

Pocklington developed through the middle ages while many similar places fell into dramatic decline. Pocklington owed much of its prosperity in the middle ages to the fact that it was a local centre for the trading of wool and lay on the main road to York, an important national centre for the export of wool to the Continent. Wool was englands principal export in the earlier middle ages

it is said that pocklington held the last witch burning in england (though i think a few might still live locally?)

Burnby Hall Gardens, was left to the people of pocklington, by major percey stewart in 1963. it is home to a natural collection of hardy water lillies. the biggest collection in a natural setting in europe. it is a well maintained 8 acres of beautiful gardens, with a small aviery.
is popular with wedding receptions as the scenery is so romantic.
the hall also hires out function rooms. and is the towns registrar.

pocklingtons annual flying man festival (early may) is in the memory of thomas pelling, who attemped to fly from the top of the local church then meeting his end when he hit the church buttresses.
the festival lately have included ab-sailing down the church tower, being part of the main events

the air field which was built in 1941, wellington bombers being the fields first users, then the halifax bombers. ( near the village of barmby moor ) is now a large industrial site, but also includes wolds gliding club

the beck, runs through pocklington, feeding into the pocklington canal. though now it runs mainly underground for most of is course, including the towns center. any sudden heavy down pour and it floods the center.
last year (07) the floodings causes major damage to roads and peoples homes. many people who have never been flooded, had to sand bags there doorways, but to no avail. many businesses had to shut for long periods of time through flood damage!
it was a real show of town spirit, when the flood waters where rising as the towns people organised themselves and re-directed traffic, away from the flooded town center and roads onto safer traveling routes.
to prevent more damage to the shop fronts and homes from the bow waves off vehicles. though in the papers there was little mention of this. as most of the thanks went to the local authorities that arrived much later.
the town center flooded to below waist deep at its highest point!

farming wise it use to be mainly sugarbeet, grain and potatoes. but after the closing of British Sugar in july 2007, more and more fields around pockllington now growing oil seed rape crops.