Burnby Hall: 19th century hall set for new chapter as building handed back to people of Pocklington

On Tuesday East Riding Council's Cabinet is expected to formally declare “underutilised” Burnby Hall surplus to requirements and offer the 19th century building to the town council for a peppercorn rent on a 125-year lease.

More than 200 locals turned out last year to express their support for the project, which would provide a community hub and enterprise centre, provide office space for start-ups, and a home for a youth club, food banks and a museum displaying local finds of national and international significance.

The town council will apply for government funds, as well as borrowing around 20 per cent of the cost of upgrading the building to meet modern standards - an estimated £650,000.

The Pocklington and District Heritage Trust has plans to put some of the fantastic Iron Age discoveries made in the area on display, including a replica of a shield used as part of an elaborate burial rite some 2,400 years ago, involving two ponies staged to look as if they were leaping out of the grave.

It looks as if history is coming full circle as the Hall and gardens were originally bequeathed in trust to the people of Pocklington by Major Stewart. The Hall was separated from the gardens - now a visitor attraction - in the 1960s when it was bought by Pocklington Rural District Council as its headquarters.

More recently it was used as offices by East Riding Council, with the attached community hall used for public events.

Mayor Roly Cronshaw said: "The people of Pocklington are quite passionate about keeping it within the community.

"There's the community hall and then there are numerous other rooms that could be used.

"We are confident we can get the funding. We haven’t even discussed an increase in the precept - the plans we have in place don't require it at this point in time.

"The plan is to put a trust in place which will run and manage it."

Chairman Phil Gilbank, from the heritage trust, said they'd been working towards setting up a museum for seven years and this was the closest they'd got.

He said digs over the last decade had generated over 1,000 Iron Age and Anglo-Saxon finds and there were hundreds more "notable" finds from local metal detectorists and farmers, which could be loaned to the museum.

He said: "We have Neolithic stone axes, a Roman fort and settlement at Hayton, we also have a mid Anglo Saxon settlement and Viking campsites - 10,000 years of history all within two or three miles of Pocklington. As soon as we know we are going to get premises we’ll look to launch a fundraising campaign with grants and appeals. We are aiming for a museum that does justice to the finds."