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.
Vermuyden400 Evening Talks at Crowle
Seven talks organised by Crowle & Ealand Heritage Society to mark 400 years since the drainage of the Isle of Axholme and Hatfield Chase. All these talks take place at the Crowle Community Hub, Market Hall on Thursday evenings at 7.30pm. £3 on the door, including refreshments.
- 10 September 2026: Where Land and Waters Meet
Professor Nicki Whitehouse, University of Glasgow.
10,000 years of life in the wetlands, from the lost ‘wildscape’ of rivers and meres that existed before Vermuyden’s drainage, to what that story means for how we manage land and warter today.
- 8 October 2026: The Dutch Connection
Piet van Cruyningen, Wageningen University
Vermuyden and his Dutch investors set out to turn Hatfield Chase into valuable farmland. This talk explores who backed the scheme, how it was financed, and why it did not do entirely to plan.
- 12 November 2026: Taming the Wild: An Engineer’s Perspective
Angus Townley, Crowle & Ealand Heritage Society
An engineer’s-eye view of three centuries of drainage works on the Isle of Axholme, from Vermuyden’s original scheme through to later improvements by Smeaton and Rennie.
- 18 February 2027: MS in the Red Box
Tim Davies, North Lincolnshire Libraries
A look at John Harrison’s historical novels of the Isle of Axholme, and how their fictional portrayal of the Drainage compares with the real history.
- 11 March 2027: Fen Drainage and the ‘Stranger’ Communities
Dr Vivienne Larminie, Huguenot Society of Great Britain and Ireland
The French and Dutch workers who came to drain the fens faced riots, suspicion and religious conflict. The story of the ‘stranger’ church at Sandtoft and the communities around it.
- 8 April 2027: Watery Place-Names in Axholme
Dr Kathryn Bullen, Vermuyden400 Guest Curator
What local place-names – marshes, carrs and holmes – reveal about a landscape that was once wet, and how that history can inform decisions about flooding and land use today.
- 13 May 2027: Riots, Risks and Rights
Elly Dezateux, Oxford University
Environmental politics and the ‘improvement’ of Hatfield Level.
Vermuyden400 Exhibition at the Rural Life Museum
27 March 2026: The Vermuyden400 exhibition at the Rural Life Museum, Normanby Hall Country Park, opened to the public.
Tiddy Mun Band
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.
- 28 March 2026: A musical performance in the Rural Life Museum by the Tiddy Mun Band, starting at 14:00.
- 7 June 2026, 7.30pm (doors open at 7.00pm): Crowle Community Hub. An evening of stories and superstitions from the fens, told through folk songs from The Tiddy Mun Band. All tickets £8.00. Book in advance by emailing folkroundere@gmail.com
- 20 June 2026, 12pm: Epworth Music Day, The White Bear stage (FACEBOOK: Epworth Music Day – Saturday 20 June 2026)
- 26 July 2026: North Lincolnshire Museum, 1pm – 4pm musical performances played intermittently throughout the afternoon
- 13 September 2026: Crowle Peatland Railway
Vermuyden400 Travelling Exhibition
May 2026: A travelling exhibition will tour the Isle of Axholme, starting at Crowle Hub.
- 24 May 2026 : The official launch for Vermuyden400 took place at Crowle Community Hub, the 400th anniversary of the signing of the contract.
Spirit of the Waters by the Crowle Entertainers
Crowle Entertainers presented Spirit of the Waters, an exciting new play with music about the turbulent history of the drainage of the Isle.
- 26 June 2026, 7.30pm: Crowle Community Hall
- 27 June 2026, 7.30pm: Haxey Memorial Hall
- 4 July 2026, 7.30pm: St Andrew’s Church, Epworth
- 5 July 2026, 6pm: Garforth Village Hall
Vermuyden400 at North Lincolnshire Museum
November 2026 – May 2027: A third exhibition will be held at North Lincolnshire Museum.
To Be Confirmed
Dates to be confirmed: Guided walks on the Isle of Axholme are currently being planned for the summer.
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