ABOUT BEVERLEY
About Beverley
Beverley is one of East Yorkshire’s hidden gems, and is regularly featured in the Sunday Times top ten list of the most desirable places to live in the UK. Its history can be traced as far back as the early 700s when John, Bishop of Hexham, founded a monastery on the site of Beverley Minster. The town developed over time and became famous for its brick, tile, leather, cloth and shipbuilding industries.
Beverley Minster House is situated in one of the oldest parts of the town, directly opposite the Minster, and provides the perfect location from which to discover its varied history, culture, shopping and dining opportunities.
History
Apart from Beverley Minster, there are numerous other historical buildings to visit within the town centre, including beautiful St Mary’s Church and the 600 year old North Bar Gateway in the Georgian Quarter, the stunning Guildhall, formerly the old courtrooms, and the impressive Friary, now home to the town’s youth hostel.
Entertainment and Culture
Beverley is a thriving place to visit culturally and has more than its fair share of annual music festivals, from Early Music (end of May), Folk (mid-June) to Chamber Music (end of September), attracting world class artists to the town. There is also a bi-annual Puppet Festival in July, a Walking Festival in September, a Food and Ale Festival and Literature Festival in October and the Victorian Festival of Christmas in December, which is one of the largest one day Christmas fairs in the country.
There are regular concerts and events held in the town’s churches, featuring both local and international artists. Beverley also boasts its own professional theatre and events venue, East Riding Theatre, with quality performances throughout the year in the atmospheric former Baptist church. Visit
www.eastridingtheatre.co.uk for more details.
The new Flemingate Centre, only a short walk from Beverley Minster House, is Beverley’s new leisure area, with a great range of shops, bars, coffee shops and eateries. It is also home to the town’s very comfortable six-screen Parkway cinema, showing the latest films plus live opera and theatre screenings. Film details can be found at
www.parkwaycinemas.co.uk.
Art Galleries & Museums
Beverley Art Gallery is within easy walking distance and hosts a range of exhibitions, talks and events throughout the year to compliment the Elwell collection of paintings housed permanently here and in Beverley Guildhall. There is also a small East Riding museum in the adjoining Treasure House. Beverley Tourist Information Centre is also based in this building.
Shopping
Beverley boasts a great mix of high street and independent shops and is rapidly becoming a premier shopping destination, with upmarket retailers Jo Malone, Hotel Chocolat, Jigsaw, The White Company and Mint Velvet all opening stores here recently. The town centre is flat, compact and mostly pedestrianised, with plenty of parking options. There is a large bustling market each Saturday.
Eating and Drinking
Whether you are just looking for a quick coffee, a full English breakfast, light lunch, or a more leisurely dining experience, the town has no shortage of coffee shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants, whatever your taste or budget. Highgate itself has a coffee shop and one of the oldest pubs in the town, the Monk’s Walk, both just yards from Beverley Minster House.
Beverley Races
Flat racing takes place from April to September on Beverley Westwood. The racecourse offers a variety of spectator options from taking your own picnic to grandstand views and premier enclosure packages with dining. Visit
www.beverley-racecourse.co.uk
for race dates and details.
Walking
http://www.walkingtheriding.eastriding.gov.uk.Beverley is the ideal location from which to base a walking holiday, with the stunning and relatively quiet Yorkshire Wolds easily accessible by car. The Minster Way, Wilberforce Way and Beverley 20 walks all run through or near the town. From the town itself it is easy to explore the pastures of Beverley Westwood, take a stroll down Beverley Beck and the banks of the River Hull, or trace the old Beverley-York railway along the Hudson Way. Walking ideas can be found on www.walkingtheriding.co.uk.
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