Pockerley Old House & St Helen's Church

From 'New House', we ventured next door to explore the adjoining medieval strong house, known as 'Old House'. The building still retains its original roof timbers from the 1440s. Originally used for defence purposes, the building would later have been let to the family of the farm manager. Upstairs, the main living area was used for cooking, eating, sleeping, washing, spinning, and candle-making. The oak box bed, dated 1712, was a typical feature of many farmsteads and cottages in the region.

Outside, we looked around the old farm buildings and the newly-opened Drovers Tavern before walking down the hill to the beautiful St Helen's Church. This medieval church from Eston, near Middlesborough, was taken down stone by stone and rebuilt at Beamish, opening in 2015. it is the oldest and most complex building ever moved by the museum. The whole process took several years.

The church includes very rare Georgian box pews and has stones dating back to the 1100s. The tower dates to the late 1600s and has two bells, including a rare Tudor example. The nave was rebuilt in 1822 when a vestry was also added. The chancel dates to around 1450. Over 200 carved stones were found during dismantling. Some of these are on display, including a medieval gargoyle of a man eating a fish above the south doorway, and a gargoyle of a man with toothache above the south window!

In Eston town, a pair of whalebones stood as an arch on the path from the church to the blacksmith's. The whalebones that have been erected at Beamish were originally part of an arch at Ashby in North Lincolnshire.Read more