Vermuyden400
Community groups, North Lincolnshire Libraries and North Lincolnshire Museums are working on Vermuyden400, an exciting project dedicated to a very important part of the history of the Isle of Axholme.
On 24 May 1626, King Charles I and the Dutch engineer Cornelius Vermuyden, signed a contract. This contract tasked Vermuyden to drain the watery lands of Hatfield Chase and the Isle of Axholme. The 400th anniversary of this event will be commemorated by exhibitions, guided walks, talks, music events, workshops and more.
27 March 2026: The Vermuyden400 exhibition at the Rural Life Museum, Normanby Hall Country Park, will open to the public.
28 March 2026: A musical performance in the Rural Life Museum by the Tiddy Mun Band, starting at 14:00. In 1986, a special Town Play written by Jack Gale called Tiddy Mun was put on at the Civic Theatre (Plowright), with songs and music from folk-rock band Ragged Heroes. These songs, woven together with stories of the folklore of the area and the impact of the draining on local people’s lives will be performed by the band. This is a short taster session, with the full performance on 7 June at Crowle Community Hub.
24 May 2026 : The official launch for Vermuyden400 will take place at Crowle Community Hub, the 400th anniversary of the signing of the contract. (Please note this event is invite only)
May 2026: A travelling exhibition will tour the Isle of Axholme, starting at Crowle Hub.
7 June 2026: The full performance following the 28 March taster performance of the 1986 special Town Play written by Jack Gale called Tiddy Mun.
27 June 2026: A theatre and choral performance event will take place on the Isle of Axholme, venue to be confirmed.
28 June 2026: A theatre and choral performance event will take place on the Isle of Axholme, venue to be confirmed.
4 July 2026: A theatre and choral performance event will take place on the Isle of Axholme, venue to be confirmed.
5 July 2026: A theatre and choral performance event will take place on the Isle of Axholme, venue to be confirmed.
November 2026 – May 2027: A third exhibition will be held at North Lincolnshire Museum.
Dates to be confirmed: Guided walks on the Isle of Axholme are currently being planned for the summer.
Dates to be confirmed: Talks on different aspects of the history of the Isle of Axholme. These will take place at various venues from September.
Useful Links
For the latest updates, keep an eye on the websites and social media channels of the organisations involved in the project:
Folk ‘Round ‘Ere – Promoting folk music, song & dance in North Lincs