Talks
The history and heritage of Staithes make our village utterly unique and continue to draw visitors.
We've curated a series of talks by experts to illuminate aspects of that history, most will feature a slideshow. Buy all tickets here
Those marked A MUST be booked in advance. Pre-booking is advised for all, though there could be some cancellations on the day.
Saturday
Staithes: A Life Story. Readings by Andy Blackford
Grant McKee, was one of the founders of the festival with a deep interest in the heritage of Staithes. He died in 2019 before this book could be completed. Now published posthumously by his wife Jill, his wide-ranging narrative covers the Romans and the Vikings, the rise of the fishing industry and its devastating fall. The book takes us into the pubs, along the beck and joyously along a coastline rich in fossils, bird and sea life. Readings and discussion by Grant’s good friend Andy Blackford and his wife Jill Turton. Books will be on sale at the event.
10.30am-11.30am upstairs at St Peter’s £4 Talk
Dark Matter by Christopher Toth
Chris Toth from the Boulby Underground Laboratory is back and ready to illuminate the mysterious world of the ever-elusive Dark Matter. He’ll report on the experiments conducted 1.1km beneath our feet in a light-hearted physics lecture for all ages; no prior physics knowledge required!
11.45am-12.45pm upstairs at St Peter’s £4 Talk
Lobster Pots and Fisherman’s Tales
John Cole from one of Staithes’ oldest families, who has fished here for much of his life, will be ashore over the weekend to demonstrate how he makes his lobster pots, sharing stories of a lifetime at sea.
@12-4pm Garden at St Peter’s, £donations in aid of the Great North Air Ambulance Demonstration/Talk
Peter Appleton: A Forgotten Industry - The Alum Shale Industry of North East Yorkshire.
Alum was used to fix the dye in coloured fabrics. It had been sourced from Italy in an industry tightly controlled by the Pope. After his divorce and fallout with the Catholic Church, Henry VIII needed another source of alum, which is how this unlikely corner of the northeast coast stepped in….
1pm-2pm upstairs at St Peter’s £4 Talk
Staithes Gallery owner Al Milnes: The Staithes Group of Artists from 1880-1915
An illustrated talk on the Impressionist art colony in Staithes at the turn of the Twentieth Century.
2.15pm-3.15pm upstairs at St Peter’s, £4 Talk
Caroline Hawley The Antiques Market Today & Tales from the Telly!
The TV antiques expert reveals what’s hot and what’s not in the auction market today.
Plus special festival bonus - bring in your precious treasures for valuation at 3.15pm, and find out more about them after the talk. Valuation/ticket MUST be booked in advance. Repeated on Sunday.
3.30pm-4.45pm upstairs at St Peter’s, £5. A Talk
Sunday
Colin Hart: Skinningrove - The social history and development of the village as a result of ironstone mining and the iron works
10.30am-11.30am upstairs at St Peter’s £4 Talk
Staithes History Talks hosted by Mandy Wragg
Join long-time Staithes residents, from three of Staithes’ oldest families; fisherman John Cole; village history expert Colin Harrison and ploager Bill Hinchley as they recall village life as they knew it, and beyond. And if you don’t know what a ploager is, you need to be there.
11.45am-12.45pm upstairs at St Peter’s Centre £4 Talk
Lobster Pots and Fisherman’s Tales
John Cole from one of Staithes’ oldest families, who has fished here for much of his life, will be ashore over the weekend to demonstrate how he makes his lobster pots and sharing stories of a lifetime at sea.
@ 1-4pm Garden at St Peter’s, £donations in aid of the Great North Air Ambulance Demonstration/Talk
Discovery of the 6,000 year-old Loftus Saltworks
Leading archaeologist Dr Stephen Sherlock on his recent discoveries of the UK’s earliest saltworks and other artefacts up on the cliffs at Boulby, which has changed the way experts view the Neolithic age.
1pm-2pm upstairs at St Peter’s, £4 Talk
The Shark and the Herrings
John Tindale was senior photographer at the Whitby Gazette and a leading post-war photo-journalist. Enjoy this talk and film show about photography, culture and tall-stories by his son David Tindale, including A Staithes Life, a weekend-long exhibition of John Tindale’s photographs
2.15pm-3.15pm upstairs at St Peter’s £4 Talk
Caroline Hawley The Antiques Market Today & Tales from the Telly!
The TV antiques expert reveals what’s hot and what’s not in the auction market today.
Plus special festival bonus – drop off your precious treasures for valuation at 3.15pm, and find out more about them after the talk. Valuation/ticket MUST be booked in advance.
3.30pm-4.45pm upstairs at St Peter’s £5 A Talk