Staithes Archives - charleshutchpress

September 11, 2026

Arts event of the week: Staithes Festival of Arts & Heritage, September 11 to 13

An artwork by Ian Burke, one of 113 artists participating in Staithes Festival of Art and Heritage at 67 locations in the fishing village

THIS weekend’s festival celebrates art, creativity, music and heritage throughout the historic fishing village of Staithes, near Whitby, North Yorkshire.

Enjoy a packed programme of live music, headline concerts, creative workshops, demonstrations, outdoor cinema, family activities and festival extras.

Many events are free to enjoy, while some require payment or advance booking. To book tickets, go to: https://www.tickettailor.com/events/staithesfestivalofartsandheritage. For the full event programme, visit: https://www.staithesfestival.com/festival/events.php.

Preview Evening, today, 6pm to 9.30pm

Artist Trail, Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 5pm

DISCOVER 113 artists exhibiting across 67 venues throughout Staithes, including 15 students from Northern School of Art (Middlesbrough campus) taking part in a group exhibition. Full-time students Sophieand Harry will exhibit independently at St Peter’s Centre and 1 Webster Steps.

Explore galleries, cottages, studios and hidden spaces transformed into exhibition venues across the village. Explore the artists at https://www.staithesfestival.com/festival/artists.php.

Eliza Carthy: Performing at Staithes Memorial Village Hall tonight at 7.30pm with a new punk-spirited album to promote. Recorded with The Restitution, Frenemies is set for release on October 26, addressing themes of motherhood, the state of the modern world, forgiveness and personal resilience as Eliza turned 50. Guest contributors to the recording include Jools Holland, Robyn Hitchcock, actors Miranda Richardson and Tim McInnerny, and Queen Of Harps

Live Music

ENJOY ticketed headline concerts by folk fiddler and singer Eliza Carthy, of Robin Hood’s Bay, at Staithes Memorial Village Hall from 7.30pm to 9.30pm tonight and Saltburn-by-the-Sea shanty group Saltburn Smugglers, same venue, same show time, tomorrow.

Look out too for a packed programme around the village with full details at https://www.staithesfestival.com/music. Many performances are free to attend, with donations welcomed in support of Staithes Festival or the RNLI (from Lifeboat House performances). View music programme and book tickets.

Taking part will be Dire Staithes and Wall Of Noise tonight; Saltburn Ukulele Band, Men Of Staithes, Becky Foord, Nick Rooke Band and Andy Blackford’s WYSIWYG tomorrow; Irish Coalminers Fylingdales Folk Choir, Michael Nagasaka and Ben Beattie and Men Of Staithes on Sunday. Look out for buskers and pop-up performances around Staithes throughout Saturday and Sunday.

Heritage

DISCOVER the stories, history and landscape of Staithes through heritage talks, guided walks, geology, fossils and events celebrating the village’s artistic and maritime past.Some heritage events are free, while others require payment or advance booking at https://www.tickettailor.com/events/staithesfestivalofartsandheritage.

South Bank Studios seascape acrylic artist Carolyn Coles: Taking part in Staithes Festival of Arts and Heritage at Kindly Light, Wesleyan Chapel, Chapel Yard, Staithes

Further highlights

Outdoor Cinema at Kippers Corner

Friday and Saturday, 9pm

Venue: Kippers Corner, High Street
Cost: Free
Presented by: Staithes Cinema Club

As the sun sets, join the gathering on the High Street opposite Kippers Corner. Bring your deckchairs and blankets for a screening of films about Staithes’ past and present, telling the story of thisremarkable village.

Booking: No booking required
More information: www.facebook.com/staithescinemaclub

Lighting Show

Friday and Saturday evening

Venue: Around the village
Cost: Free

As dusk settles over Staithes, visitors can look forward to the festival’s lighting show, adding colour, atmosphere and a little extra magic to the village after dark.

Booking: No booking required

Fossils, Science & Nature

Staithes Rocks: Guides rock platform walks

Saturday, 9.45am to12.30pm

Venue: Staithes Harbour Beach
With: Earth Science Outreach UK
Cost: £12
Booking: Advance booking required
Book tickets: Staithes Rock & Fossil Safari Tickets, Multiple dates | Eventbrite

Explore the Jurassic world on a guided rock-platform walk between Staithes Harbour and Old Nab.

The people behind the Yorkshire Fossil Festival bring together a family programme of fossils, science and creativity, with walks, talks, craft workshops and hands-on activities exploring the deep-time heritage of Staithes and the surrounding area.

Suitable for beginners and enthusiasts.

More information: Earth Science Outreach UK

Yorkshire Marine Nature Partnership

Saturday, 10am to 4pm

Venue: Cowbar Staith
Cost: Free

Explore examples of Concrete Coast enhancements designed to blur the boundary between land and sea, helping coastal defences work for both people and nature.

Be inspired by coastal textures and your own relationship with the sea, then contribute to a collaborative community print tapestry.

Booking: No booking required—drop in throughout the day

Fossil Art and Palaeontology Workshop

Saturday, 1.30pm–3.30pm

Venue: Staithes Harbour Beach
With: Earth Science Outreach
Cost: Free

GO hands-on with creative activities led by creative scientists.

Part of the Staithes Rocks programme, this drop-in workshop brings together fossils, science and creativity while exploring the deep-time heritage of Staithes and the surrounding area.

Suitable for beginners and enthusiasts.

Booking: Staithes Rock & Fossil Safari Tickets, Multiple dates | Eventbrite

More information: Facebook page

Needle felt/pyrography by Whitby artist Lacey Brown at St Peter’s Centre, Church Street, Staithes

North York Moors National Park: Information and Nature Activity

Saturday and Sunday, 10am to5pm

Venue: Garden of Poplar House, High Street, near Staithes Museum
Cost: Free

Visit the North York Moors National Park team to discover more about the diverse landscape surrounding Staithes.

You can take part in an activity to create a growing display of positive actions and inspiring ideas for nature recovery.

Booking: No booking required
More information: North York Moors National Park | NYMNP

The Amazing Technicolor Pendulums

Saturday and Sunday, 10.30am–4pm

Venue: Cleveland Corrosion, Bank Top
Cost: Free

Discover what happens when engineering and science become kinetic art.

Watch colour, movement and physics come together as swinging pendulums create constantly changing patterns in this family-friendly display.

Booking: No booking required

Heritage & Local History

Rod Jewell’s Staithes Experience: Heritage Exhibition

Saturday and Sunday, 10am to5pm

Venue: Granary Yard Garage Studio
Cost: Free

Roll up, roll up for a continuous and rare silent film showing the arrival of the motorised Staithes lifeboat in 1924, along with reels from Rod’s treasured Victorian magic-lantern collection of unpublished slides featuring bygone Staithes in the 1890s, the Staithes Group of Artists and fisherfolk.

Immerse yourself in collector Rod’s Staithes Experience. Photographs, antiques, ephemera and bric-a-brac will be on display and available to buy.

Rod is the author of the photographic village history Staithes: Between Two Nabs.

Booking: No booking required

An artwork by York digital photomontage and mixed media artist Adele Karmazyn. Find her work rooted in a fascination with antiquities, weathered textures and forgotten spaces at High House, Cinder Path, Staithes

Bill Hinchley’s Guided History Walk

Saturday and Sunday, 11am to1pm

Meeting point: Bank Top viewpoint, Staithes Lane
Cost: Donations in aid of the Great North Air Ambulance
Booking: Advance booking required

Join lifelong Staithes resident and historian Bill Hinchley for a captivating heritage walk through the village.

Equipped with coastal humour, personal memories and rich storytelling, Bill brings the historic fishing village vividly to life.

Book your walk:

Saturday, 11am–1pm Buy tickets – Bill Hinchley’s Guided History Walk around the village – Saturday 11am-1pm – Meet Bank Top viewpoint, Staithes Lane.
Sunday, 11am–1pm –Select tickets – Bill Hinchley’s Guided History Walk – Sunday 11am-1pm – Meet Bank Top viewpoint, Staithes Lane.

More information: Free video of a snippit of Bills walk – also available free to watch at Staithes Museum

Caroline Hawley Treasure Valuations

Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 4pm

Venue: Poplar House, High Street
Cost: £5 per lot consigned, payable on the day

Find out more about your family heirlooms, prized possessions or boot-sale bargains with Bargain Hunt’s Caroline Hawley and her auctioneer husband, John.

Hawleys Auctioneers will be on hand to value and share information about jewellery, watches, coins, silver, paintings and objets d’art.

For larger items, please bring photographs.

Booking: No booking required—pay on the day

More Information: Hawleys

Shoal, by Saltburn by the Sea wildlife artist Dennis Roddam, on show at Valley View, Staithes Lane, Staithes

Creative Workshops & Demonstrations

Live Festival Illustrations with Amy Lipscombe

Friday, 6pm to 9.30pm
Saturday and Sunday, 10am–5.30pm

Venue: Windsor House, Church Street
Cost: Prices from £20, payable directly to the artist

Commission your own A6 coloured-pencil illustration of yourself, your family or even your pet as a special reminder of this year’s festival.

Amy will take a photograph during your visit and complete your illustration later that day or post it to you afterwards.

Booking: No advance booking required

More Information: Amy lipscombeart Facebook

Spin Art

Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 5pm

Venue: Singing Waters Yard, High Street
Cost: £5, payable on the day

Spin your own masterpiece with Ed and Al in Singing Waters Yard – fun for the young and not so young. Create a piece of art to take home as a memento of your visit to Staithes Festival.

Booking: No booking required—pay on the day

Painting Demonstrations with Lynton Parmar-Hemsley

Saturday and Sunday, 10.30am to 4pm

Venue: Staithes Gallery, High Street
Cost: Free

Visit Staithes Gallery during the festival weekend to see painting demonstrations by artist Lynton Parmar-Hemsley throughout Saturday and Sunday.

Booking: No booking required
More information: www.lyntonartist.com

Chiaroscuro Portrait Relief Linocut Workshop

Saturday and Sunday, 11am to 12 noon

Venue: Sunday School beneath the Wesleyan Chapel, Chapel Yard
With: Artist Ian Burke
Cost: £15
Booking: Advance booking advised

Explore the dramatic effect of light falling across one side of the face using simple relief-linocut techniques. No drawing experience is required.

Ian will provide expressive black-and-white portrait images inspired by woodcuts, which participants will transfer onto lino and carve as the first printing block. A second lino block will then be created to print the light and bring out the features through contrast and tone.

During the session, you will create your own striking chiaroscuro portrait print and explore how light can define form and expression.

Book your workshop:

Saturday, 11am–12 noon Buy tickets – “Artist Ian Burke’s Chiaroscuro Portraits Relief Linocut Workshop Saturday 12th September – Sunday School under the Wesleyan Chapel, Chapel Yard
Sunday, 11am–12 noon Buy tickets – “Artist Ian Burke’s Chiaroscuro Portraits Relief Linocut Workshop” – Sunday school Chapel Yard

More information: www.ianburkepainterprintmaker.com

Preening, Staithes, by Yorkshire wildlife artist Tracey Waddington, whose work will be at Harbour Cottage, High Street, Staithes

Recycled Copper Ring-Making

Saturday and Sunday, 1pm to 5pm

Venue: Chapel Garth, High Street
With: Bean Creative
Cost: £7 per person, payable on the day
Session length: Approximately 20 minutes

Try something a little different by making your own unique copper-pipe ring using old plumbing parts. Become creative with files and hammers to produce a beautiful ring: the perfect piece of recycled festival jewellery.

Booking: No booking required
More information: Bean Creative Jewellery

Painting Demonstration with Sue Nichol

Saturday, 1.30pm–2.30pm

Venue: Laura Knight’s Studio
Cost: Free

Join artist Sue Nichol for a free drop-in painting demonstration. She will show how she creates her bold and colourful paintings inspired by the Yorkshire coast and its famous sailing cobles.

Booking: No booking required
More information: www.suenicholartist.com

Family Activities

Staithes Co-op Children’s Art Competition

Saturday, 10am to 4pm

Venue: Cowbar Staith
Cost: Free

View the artwork created by the talented winners of the children’s seaside art competition and have a go at winning raffle prizes.All funds raised will help support the festival.

Booking: No booking required
More information: Co-op

Poetry & Performance

The Stand-Up Tragedy Show

Sunday, 10.15am to 11.45am

Venue: The Lifeboat Shed
Cost: Free
With: Andy Blackford, Carmen Marcus and Bob Beagrie

The Stand-Up Tragedy Show features Andy Blackford—voted 1970’s Man Least Likely To Make 30—and his more talented friends, the poets Carmen Marcus and Bob Beagrie.

Booking: No booking required
More information: https://www.bobbeagrie.co.uk

Plan your visit

Please note, there is no festival visitor parking in the old village. Instead, festival parking will be available at Cowbar, with a free shuttle service for visitors who need assistance.

Check the latest parking, travel and accessibility information before setting off. For more information, go to: https://www.staithesfestival.com/plan-your-visit-to-staithes/parking.php.

October 25, 2022October 25, 2022

Six months, 58 paintings, as Andrew Farmer takes coastal path for Watermark Gallery show of Yorkshire and Cleveland Way in oil

*Oil painter Andrew Farmer with his bare essentials on a coastal painting trip*

BIKE, painting essentials, coffee thermos, paint-spattered radio, South Yorkshire artist Andrew Farmer devoted six months to painting the Yorkshire coast and Cleveland Way solely for the Watermark Gallery in Harrogate.

The results of this commission, 58 paintings in all, are on show and sale in his North Landing show at Liz and Richard Hawkes’s contemporary art gallery in Royal Parade until November 12.

Born in Rotherham, and now living in Doncaster, Andrew is an elected member of the Royal Institute of Oil Painters (ROI). For North Landing, he revisited coastal places he remembered from childhood and explored more isolated locations along the Cleveland Way.

His painting journey started at North Landing, Flamborough, a hidden gem replete with white cliffs and emerald-green water. As he moved northwards, often on the edge of the coastal path on his bike, he stopped to take in different scenes; sailing boats out at sea, discreet coves and children playing on the beach.

“My aim is always to capture the characteristics of a place at a particular point in time,” says Andrew, whose painting path concluded at Staithes. “I love the view over the beck towards the sea from the high vantage point.”

On his return to his studio after each trip, he would work on a select few pieces, taking an initial oil sketch made outdoors and transforming it into a much larger, more imagined work, while also making use of his rare pencil drawings and reference photographs.

*Waves and the airwaves: Andrew Farmer’s sea view and his plein-air radio*

Here Andrew answers CharlesHutchPress’s questions on a bracing coastal journey from Flamborough to Staithes splashed in oil.

How did you meet Liz and Richard Hawkes?

“Liz and Richard came across my work during a show in Cambridge, and sometime afterwards touched base with me to see whether I’d like to show in their new bricks-and-mortar gallery in Harrogate. I jumped at the opportunity.”

Where did you study art and when did you first realise you had the eye for being an artist?

“From a very early age, around six or seven, was when I dedicated myself to becoming an artist. My formal education started at Doncaster Churchview College of Art, followed by a degree in Fine Art Painting at Canterbury Christ Church University, and finally studying on The Drawing Year at the Royal Drawing School, London.

*Child’s play on the sand, captured in oils by Andrew Farmer, recalling his own childhood holidays*

“Throughout my education, I’ve been incredibly blessed by the tutors that have guided me along the way, far too many to mention! But one of the most impressionable things for me was that almost all of my tutors were/are practising artists too, creating work purely for themselves, often through obsession.

“This is something I’ve always felt strongly about, to produce work first and foremost in tune with my personal interests and love for the subject, whatever that might be!”

Why favour painting in oils?

“I’ve painted in watercolour and acrylics in my early days, especially during the first years of art school. My mum purchased me my first set of entry-level oil paints at age 16, give or take!

“I remember squeezing the oils out onto a brand-new wooden palette and I loved everything about the medium: the smell, the buttery consistency and the ability to work and rework wet on wet. The medium really suits my inquisitive nature.”

*“I loved everything about the medium of oil paint: the smell, the buttery consistency and the ability to work and rework wet on wet,” says Andrew*

How did you structure your six-month project for Watermark Gallery?

“I had to be incredibly organised in creating the works for my North Landing show, from limiting my equipment to the bare essentials, including fresh coffee in a thermos, to planning out which stretch of the Cleveland Way I was going to focus on.

“I found it incredibly enriching to settle on one spot for a week, creating a series in and around Filey, before moving on. This enabled me to dig a little deeper, getting to know rock formations, beaches and colour palettes of each individual spot.

“Almost every painting in the show was worked over numerous sessions, returning again and again until completion. This also had its challenges in that, occasionally, I’d go back to rework boats for example, only to find the local fishermen were already out at sea and the boats were no longer resting on the foreshore. This happened mainly at Flamborough during the painting of one of the key pieces, North Landing.”

What does creating a painting over two or three sessions bring to the painting process?

“A lot of plein-air painters will start and finish a work in an hour or two, and that’s great so long as they’re satisfied with the result. Personally, I much prefer to rework paintings over a number of sessions where possible.

*“I feel like each time I return, I’m standing on my own shoulders and can go deeper with my subject matter,” says Andrew, whose painting process involves repeat visits to the same vantage point*

“I feel like each time I return, I’m standing on my own shoulders and can go deeper with my subject matter. And by this, I don’t mean more detailed. Sometimes it’s the complete opposite.

“I might spend time simplifying, stripping back unnecessary details and noise. It also means I’m able to work on much larger scales, something many plein-air painters would never entertain.”

What is a typical day for you painting in the open air?

“Every single day is different when it comes to painting outdoors, but they tend to have a similar ‘beat’ in terms of timing. I tend to break my day into two-hour sessions; some I start early to fit two sessions in during the morning, and then another two-three sessions in the afternoon.

“Two hours is the maximum amount of time I tend to spend on a painting before stopping and working on another. This is because the light can shift so much that it’s really impossible to continue without changing the whole piece.

*“I feel at home along this coastline, both in terms of familiar locations and light, but also with the general public,” says Andrew*

“I’ll then return to the same spot with a canvas to take a second shot at it, always checking the weather conditions before making a decision. Because I’m working from life, I can have anything from six to 20 paintings on the go at any one time, all at different levels in terms of progress.”

What do you love about painting the Yorkshire coast and the Cleveland Way?

“It’s such a personal thing for me to paint the Yorkshire coast. This is the area where I holidayed as a child with my brothers and sisters and also where I prefer to holiday with my young family.

“I feel at home along this coastline, both in terms of familiar locations and light, but also with the general public. I’ve met so many wonderful people when I’ve been out painting, one of the brilliant things about painting en plein air.”

Is the light the key to it all?

“One of the key driving forces behind my work is definitely the light. However, I’m not interested only in painting sun-drenched sandy scenes.

“I love equally trying to capture the essence of a moody dusk scene when lights are just flicking on or trying to pin down a passing storm in the distance.

“Painting from life is incredibly satisfying and frustrating at the same time, with some light effects lasting only minutes!”

What do you love about living and working in Doncaster, South Yorkshire?

“I can have peace and solitude when I paint in the more rural areas close to home, and the opposite, the hustle and bustle of townscapes. There’s pretty much every subject on offer within a stone’s throw, which I love, because I can either walk or cycle, which is something I’m trying my best to do more and more.

*Andrew Farmer at Watermark Gallery, Harrogate, where 58 of his paintings are on show*

“The connections to major cities via the train station are just fantastic too, which makes things much easier when I attend meetings and exhibitions further afield.”

Who are your favourite painters and why?

“There are so many artists that have inspired and continue to inspire me to this day, some more well-known and obvious than others.

My mum bought me my first book on the Impressionists at age 16. Until then I had no idea that painting outdoors was a possibility. Among the Impressionists, I adore Monet, Sisley and Pissarro especially. I also love the solidity, determination and integrity of Cezanne.

“A lesser-known figure and painting hero of mine is Albert Marquet, but especially his beautiful and simple drawings from life. He had an incredible way of simplifying the world on canvas.”

*“Occasionally, I’d go back to rework boats, only to find the local fishermen were already out at sea and the boats were no longer resting on the foreshore,” says Andrew*

What does your election to the Royal Institute of Oil Painters mean to you?

“This has been a dream come true, and something I’m still beaming about. Historically, the ROI has included some of the most notable painters in British history and it’s an absolute honour to be a part of this.

“Being elected a member in one way has changed everything for me, and in another way it has changed nothing. That’s quite an odd thing to say but I guess what I mean is that when I’m in front of the canvas and the subject, everything fizzles away and it’s back to the grind of painting. It never seems to get easier, if anything, it’s getting harder as I go on.”

*He came, he saw, he conkered: Andrew Farmer’s annual autumn project of painting horse chestnuts*

What will be your next painting project?

“My next series of paintings is focused on the humble conker (the horse chestnut). Painting these beautiful little objects has become an annual ritual. Every autumn since around 2007, I go out and collect them from under the trees, being careful to keep the spiky shell intact.

“More recently, my kids have also been supplying me with the conkers they’ve collected in the playground, which is so touching that they think of me and my work when they’re in school.

“I love to wait until the shell splits naturally and reveals the jewel inside. I paint these in my garden studio, as I listen to old records, podcasts etc. It’s a great and fun little series that I always look forward to. This latest collection includes 25 conkers, which I can’t wait to share via my website in the coming weeks at www.andrewfarmerfineart.com”

Andrew Farmer: North Landing runs at Watermark Gallery, Royal Parade, Harrogate until the tide goes out on November 12. Opening hours: Tuesday to Saturday, 10am to 5pm.