Proud to be Pocklington!

What is it about the sleepy market town of Pocklington that makes such an impression on people?

From the outside Pocklington can appear a little pragmatic, however delve a little deeper and you will find a bustling town full of interest and entertainment. As the town develops with time even residents that have lived in Pocklington for years are finding different and unexpected things. Pocklington has a habit of growing on you; people come and never want to leave. While others who grew up here are always back visiting friends and family.

The original settlement goes back thousands of years. More commonly known among residents now as 'Pock', the skyline is still dominated by it's 15th century church tower. Although the town can be considered slightly out of the way, it's semi isolation in past centuries gives it the strong sense of independence that it still has today. There is a vast array of services and facilities that have become the envy of many other larger towns. Pocklington has become known as a place where both young and old can work hard and play hard. However the town also accommodates people who simply want to take it easy and relax.

Pocklington is steeped in the impressive rural countryside of Yorkshire, and is in easy reach of bigger cities and towns such as York and Hull, as well as the coastal resorts of Bridlington, Hornsea and Scarborough. In which other market town the size of Pocklington would you find a swimming pool, a cinema and art centre that attracts internationally renowned acts that come back time and time again, on top of home grown talents coming back to their roots. The Wolds Gliding Club operates just outside of Pocklington - the only one in the area - originally formed back in 1969 and still going strong today are looking at purchasing more land to expand the club even further.

Burnby Hall Gardens are a short ride away from Pocklington. The ornamental gardens and the lakes with a National Collection of Hardy Water Lilies and the Stewart Museum are the creation of Major Percy Marlborough Stewart. On his death Major Stewart (his wife having predeceased him and having no children of the marriage) willed that the Gardens and the Collection should be left in trust for the benefit of the people of Pocklington, and it is still this trust that manages the estate which the people of Pocklington still enjoy. The fortunes of Pocklington's local gentry declined in the middle ages - some of the town's families were connected with revolt and rebellion (this led to a few beheadings in Elizabethan times!), throughout the Civil war

Pocklington remained fiercely royalist - it came through years of uncertainty with merchants and shopkeepers leading a revival that was boosted by the building of the Pocklington canal. Even today the canal still enhances life in the town by being an important site for recreation and wildlife. In the 19th and 20th centuries the town developed outwards into the successful footprint of a core town centre of winding streets (they follow the course of the beck which now flows underground throughout most of the town), with housing and facilities radiating outwards.

Here at Envy we could never do Pocklington the full justice it deserves simply by writing about it. Go for a drive out enjoy the scenic route take a look around the town for yourself. Be careful though, it grows on you!

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