Perfect Pocklington

Dominated by a 15th century church tower, Pocklington is a market town with many quaint old houses, attractive buildings and unusual street names, with the Wolds providing a colourful backdrop.

William Wilberforce, the famous slave law reformer, was a pupil at Pocklington Grammar School in the 18th century and while there wrote his first public letter against the slave trade.

The splendour of All Saints Church has earned it the title of Cathedral of the Wolds and it dates from the late 12th to early 15th centuries. Although it contains Norman fragments, its foundations go back further to the original Saxon era.

Twice a week someone has to climb the tower of All Saints Church to wind the huge old clock.

Nearby is the village of Warter, part of the Warter Priory estate, where the thatched cottages and greens are popular with photographers and artists.

Also nearby is Londes-borough Park, where George Hudson, the Railway King, lived before his commercial downfall.

Burnby Hall Gardens houses Europe’s largest water lily collection in two acres of lakes, with more than 5,000 flowering plants.

The collection was left to the people of Pockling-ton by Percy Marlborough Stewart of Burnby Hall, along with his collection of illustrations and objects from around the world, which is also on display.

Not far away is the unspoilt village of Millington where the Gate Inn has a map of the area painted onto the ceiling.

Nearby, Millington Wood is one of the few remaining wooded dales in the Wolds and is a popular local beauty spot.

It is a classic ancient ash woodland and as such is designated a Site of Special Scientific Interest.