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If you have read my introductory page for Pocklington, you will know that I visited as a musician at Easter 2009 to play a few acoustic gigs in the town. The first place we played was the Cross Keys, and I could not have wished for a nicer introduction to the Yorkshire hospitality that was to become a mark of our trip.
I can only speak of one evening here, in what was probably a slightly priveleged position, and I hope that readers of my pages know by now that I always try to be completely objective in my tips. Surely, VT would become pretty meaningless otherwise.
What I found was a very pleasant country town pub, with food on offer (which I did not sample), clean, comfortable and with pleasant staff. As my photo shows, the place is currently for sale, so the lifespan of this tip may be limited, but I am posting it as it is now. As always, and very properly, I shall rely on other VTers to correct me if things change.
There is a possibility I shall return in late May 2009, and shall obviously update my tip then.
The pub does not seem to have it's own website so I have included an interesting website giving a little history of the place, including a landlord of antiquity (1882) fined for being drunk in his own house. Now there is a concept!
In the meantime, if you fancy a spot of refreshment in Pocklington, you could certainly do worse than the Cross Keys.
Written Apr 18, 2009
Address: 89 Market Street, Pocklington.
Phone: 00 44 1759302179
Website: http://www.pocklingtonhistory.com/archives/shopspubs/pubs/crosskeys/index.php
Again, much as I love VT, I find myself wondering in what category to put this tip. This place is Hotel, restaurant, occasional function venue and bar. I have opted for the Things To Do as I did not stay there and only had a brief snack.
The Feathers seems to be the largest Hotel in Pocklington (albeit with limited competition), and is a perfectly pleasant country town place. My band played an Easter weekend acoustic gig here and were treated very hospitably, with a very pleasant and appreciative crowd. As I said, I did not eat a full meal, but I can attest to the quality of the hand cut chips (French fries or game chips for US readers), provided as a snack, which were very tasty. I did see people eating in the restaurant, and the food looked very good.
My friends and I returned the day after the gig for a quick drink before another performance, and again were treated to some wonderful Yorkshire hospitality.
Whilst I would not venture an opinion without having stayed there, I would suggest that, on the evidence of the public areas, a stay here would be very pleasant. Certainly a comfortable place for a quiet drink, well quiet as long as my band is not playing!
Written Apr 18, 2009
Address: Market Place, Pocklington
Phone: 00 44 1759303155
Website: http://www.thefeathers-hotel.co.uk/
Helpfulness
Arguably one of the most famous events in the history of Pocklington, and still spoken about by locals is the story of the Flying Man, who actually didn't as we shall see. Although a very sad tale, for some reason, it always strikes me as being vaguely amusing.
The story runs thus.
The date is 16th April 1733 and Pocklington is apparently abuzz with excitement about what is going to happen. A man was going to "fly" from the Tower of the All Saints Church coming to rest at the Star Inn. A man called Thomas Pelling, from nearby Lincolnshire, was a showman whose act consisted of going from town to town, strapping on a pair of wings and basically utilising an aerial runway to put on a show by "flying" from a local high place. It might not seem like much now but almost 200 years before powered flight in a small country town it must have been a sensation.
However, the bold Mr. Pelling was soon to come unstuck. He had employed a couple of local men to man the windlass controlling the tension of the rope. What happened is still unclear, but for whatever reason, the rope was not what it should have been tension-wise and he plummeted from the Tower, smashing into the wall of the Church and falling to Earth dead.
Fittingly, he is buried where he fell. He is remembered, apart from the memorial shown, in the Flying Man club in the town.
Written Apr 18, 2009
Helpfulness
If you visit Pocklington, you really cannot miss the parish Church of All Saints, as it really does dominate the skyline of the town. Sometimes referred to as the Cathedral of the Wolds, it really is a pleasant place to visit along with it's graveyard, a thing that always fascinates me as an exercise in social history. I have included a photo of a headstone that particularly appealed to me as it was that of an innkeeper, always an honourable occupation in my opinion! Interesting, though, to note the agesof the deceased remembered here.
The church also has the memorial to the Flying Man (see seperate tip).
The building is a Grade 1 listed building. For non-British readers, this effectively means that it is a building of great significance and protected by law. It is believed that St. Paulinus established Christianity in the town about 627AD, and there are Norman and Saxon elements, although the present building dates predominantly from the late 12th to early 15th centuries. Major restoration work took place in the late 19th century.
There is a Flemish altar piece and also the Sotheby Cross. The Cross dates to the early 1400's and was made for, or in memory of, John Sotheby who was born in 1390. A branch of his family went on to found the world-renowned Sotheby's auctioneers. After being buried for centuries, it was rediscovered in 1835 and then resided in the Church itself, but was restored to the Churchyard in 2006.
Possibly the most interesting feature of the Church is the memorial to the Flying Man which is dealt with in a seperate tip.
Written Apr 18, 2009
Phone: 00 44 1759 302133
Website: www.allsaintspocklington.org.uk
If you have read my introductory page to Pocklington, you will know that I was in the town where my band was playing a few gigs. Having played in another location in town, I fancied a late drink and was directed by some locals towards the Station Hotel, which for some reason they all call the Shed.
It was a Bank Holiday weekend and I expected the place to be pretty busy. Not a bit of it. There were probably 20 people in the place at about midnight, and most of them all apparently the worse for wear. The young man attempting to pole dance certainly provided proof of that, not to mention some light entertainment.
In fairness, the place is clean, the staff friendly and I certainly did not feel threatened as I have done in other places of this type. The music selection is, to say the least, eclectic, mixing at one point the Knack's "My Sharona" (a great 80's track) with some very modern R 'n' B quite seamlessly.
Not really my kind of place, so I had a couple of drinks and wended my merry way home.
I have included day and night shots so whatever time you decide to go there, you should recognise it!
Oh, and by the way, if you are wondering about the title of this tip, Annabelle's is the name of one of the most famous nightclubs in London, frequented by A-list stars.
Dress Code: Didn't appear to be one. There were certainly no door staff enforcing a dress code, so I would suggest smart casual.
Written Apr 18, 2009
Address: 1 Pavement, Pocklington
Phone: 00 44 1759303113
The Buddhist centre at Kilnwick Percy is worth a visit.
There is no problem for visitors just to wander around the grounds. Take a walk across the fields and around the lake or just wander through the woodland (smell the wild garlic) and take a seat in the walled garden.
The weekend retreats at the centre make for a pleasant escape from the hustle & bustle of everyday life. There is certainally no pressure on the religious side of things.
During the Summer the vegetarian cafe is open but if you fancy a cup of tea just leave a donation and help yourself.
Further information about the centre can be found on their website.
Written Sep 28, 2004
Phone: (01759) 304832
Website: http://www.madhyamaka.org/
Readers of my other pages will know that I am a musician of sorts, and like most musicians always on the lookout for somewhere new to play. When a member of one of my bands, a few months ago,...
Build your own Pocklington page
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