Gallery

Our Gallery

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Here you can find more information about Burn village past and present, including wartime history, community events, charity fund-raising initiatives, special occasions and more. There are also links to external websites for The Wheatsheaf public house, Burn Cricket Club, Burn Gliding Club, RAF 578 Squadron, RCAF 431 Squadron ‘The Snowbirds’ and The Eden Project (the Big Lunch).

Old Burn

A selection of pictures from times past, courtesy of various Burn residents.

In 1870, Burn’s population was recorded as 320, with 63 houses.
Remarkably, while the number of houses has increased to around 200, the population has stayed fairly constant, now numbering approximately 400. Apart from private houses, Burn now only has its pub, The Wheatsheaf, and the Methodist Chapel, but at one time the village boasted two shops – one was also the village post-office . The post office  and shop on Main Road closed in 1989 and the village stores on West Lane closed in 1992.

In the 20th century, Burn had a missionary house that was used as a Sunday school – it is now a private dwelling.  George King, a great-grandfather of the Colombian footballer Radamel Falcao was born in the village.

The Pub

A warm welcome awaits in Burn’s traditional country pub, The Wheatsheaf.

Hosts Andy and Joanne and their friendly staff offer a full range of beers, lagers and spirits, including guest ales and their famous malt whisky collection.

Home-cooked food is available every lunchtime and Wednesday to Saturday evenings in this dog-friendly hostelry. Open from 12 noon daily (closed Tuesdays).

Burn In Bloom

The Burn in Bloom garden “competition” was first held in 1971 and awards over the years include certificates, silver cups and salvers and merit certificates.
The event is currently on hold while we give it a bit of an overhaul. The plan still includes the traditional awards, but we hope to add more categories, particularly to encourage our younger residents to have a go.

The Big Lunch

The Big Lunch is the national initiative started by Cornwall’s Eden Project to persuade whole communities and neighbours to get together at street parties.

Burn took part in The Big Lunch for ten years from 2009 to 2019 – becoming one of the longest consecutively running Big Lunch events in the country and is now one of the Eden Project’s ‘poster lunches’ and is regularly featured in their publicity.


Held in marquees on the pub carpark, attendance has grown from the initial 80 or so to well into triple figures, increasing year on year come rain or shine, and has raised thousands of pounds for charity.

The lunch only paused in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid and returned with a massive 200-plus attendees in 2022 for the late Queen’s Jubilee.  But the idea was kept alive in those two lockdown years by encouragement of end-of-driveway picnics and a goody bag for every household containing a newsletter, adult and children’s quiz books and a money off voucher for meals from the village pub to help it through the pandemic as well as supporting residents.

Christmas In Burn (updated 2024)

For many years from 2007, the village built up a reputation as a celebrity-magnet as stars, and, later, local community ‘heroes’, queued up to be the next ‘Lord of the Manor’ and choose a charity in return for performing the Burn Christmas Lights switch-on. Christmas activities in 2020 and 2021, tailored to the constraints of Covid-19, saw drive-round ‘Santa sleigh’ visits leading up to Christmas – big thanks are due to village volunteers and local businesses for donations of time, effort, materials, equipment and expertise and to residents for the amazing amounts of charity cash raised in both lockdown years. Burn has now decided to keep the Santa sleigh tour as a new tradition as everyone feels it’s more inclusive, as it brings Christmas to all those people who are unable to stand out in the cold or endure the heavy traffic past the village green.

Burn Methodist Chapel

Our small village chapel, a member of The Methodist Church Goole and Selby Circuit, is situated in the heart of the village on Main Road and holds Sunday morning services as well as special services for Easter, Harvest, Remembrance and Christmas.

It contains memorials to those former village residents who fell in both world wars.

The chapel is open most Bank Holiday Mondays for refreshments (bacon butties, toasted tea-cakes, teas and coffees) and also hosts a range of other events such as its Easter and Autumn fairs and the Christmas Tree Festival.

A ‘Pop-In’ group meets on the first and third Thursday afternoons of each month offering activities and a chance to chat over refreshments and a village toddler group meets on Friday mornings (please contact Hannah Jaskowski 07494 154234, ‘phone or text).

History and archive photos courtesy of Burn Methodist Chapel and Richard Moody & the Rev Denys Terry, authors of ‘Burn Methodist Church Centenary Booklet.

BURN METHODIST CHAPEL A short history

Easter in Burn

Started during Covid to lift spirits and provide some amusement, the Easter Sunday morning visit of the Easter bunny (or, more usually, bunnies) has become another new village tradition.

Burn Airfield & Gliding Club

The first occupants of Burn Airfield were No.1653Heavy Conversion Unit RAF. They formed at RAF Polebrook in January 1942 to convert crews for the Consolidated B-24 Liberator heavy bomber for duties in the Middle East. They moved to Burn in June 1942 but their stay was short-lived and the unit was disbanded in October 1942.

The first operational squadron arrived shortly afterwards – the Canadians of 431 Squadron who came to Burn in November 1942, leaving in July 1943 for Tholthorpe with their Wellingtons. In their period in Burn, the squadron flew around 320 missions, losing 17 of their Wellington bombers and 85 crew.

Bomber Command was expanding rapidly when the newly formed 578 Squadron arrived in February 1944 with its huge four-engine Halifax aircraft. Soon aircrew and ground staff were to outnumber the Burn population by about ten to one.

During the fourteen months of occupation of RAF Burn, 578 Squadron flew around 2,722 sorties against the strongly armed enemy, suffering grievous losses of aircraft and the deaths of 219 aircrew.

In October 2012, the commanding officer of the current Canadian Airforce 431 Snowbirds’ Squadron flew 4,000 miles to attend the unveiling of the new memorial to the squadron and mark its founding exactly seventy years previously.

Based on the WW2 Burn airfield since 1984, Burn Gliding Club started at Doncaster Aerodrome in 1960 as Doncaster Gliding Club. Some of the members started in Doncaster and have been flying for over 60 years. Membership is very affordable and gliding tuition is available to children as young as 12 up to adults in their 80s. There is a clubhouse for morning briefings, training lectures, a club simulator, social events and after-flying drinks.

Burn Cricket Club

Burn Cricket Club was formed in the early 1900s and cricket is played at the ground, known as “Linnet Park”, located 3 miles south of Selby on the A19 Doncaster Road, a small ground carved into cornfields on three sides and tight up against the A19 on the other, it provides a unique opportunity for high scores and exciting cricket.

This has been home since 1947, following a move from the original ground on Henwick Hall Lane, which was taken over by the RAF when Burn Airfield was established during the war. The ground is owned by, and rented from the “Websters Trust”, a local farming family associated with the village over many generations. (Courtesy of Dave Queenan ” A Brief History of Burn CC”)

Remembrance

Burn’s ‘village green’ is home to two memorial stones – one commemorating RAF 578 Squadron, the other, erected in 2012, in memory of the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) 431 ‘Iroqouis’ Squadron. Both squadrons flew out of Burn airfield during World War II and every November, following a service in Burn Chapel, Remembrance observations are held at the memorials.

Other Village Events

Burn regularly gets involved in various special celebrations and welcomes particular visitors and charity events – offering a warm village welcome.

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