Celebrating John Smeaton
2024 sees the 300th Anniversary of the birth of John Smeaton (1724–1792), prolific inventor and the “father of civil engineering”, who lived and worked at Austhorpe and is buried in Whitkirk Church. We have a wealth of activities and events to celebrate his life and works.
You can find out more information about the events we have planned here.
Heritage Open Day 2024
Saturday 7th September, 10am – 4pm
Explore this wonderful medieval church, a place of continuous worship for nearly a thousand years.
Fine embroideries, history and architecture, and the stories of people who have worshipped here over the centuries, including a special exhibition about the life and achievements of John Smeaton.
Refreshments are available, and all are welcome to come along as we share the hundreds of years of history which have played out at Whitkirk.
The Annual Whitkirk Lecture 2024: “John Smeaton: Family and Friends”
Friday 20th September, 7:30pm in the Community Centre
This year’s Annual Whitkirk Lecture continues the year of ‘Celebrating Smeaton’, following our events in May and June.
In one of John Smeaton’s written accounts, he comments that ‘the most important inventions, applicable to the greatest purposes of human life, had originally sprung from the joint labours of ingenious men’.
Dorothy Schofield’s lecture introduces some of those people – men and women – who contributed to his endeavours and ingenuity. The lecture draws together family and friends and looks at their importance to John Smeaton’s life and work.
From 6.30pm the ‘Smeaton Cinema’ showing short videos on aspects of Smeaton’s life and works will be playing.
Free admission, donations welcome. The bar will be open for refreshments.
Read more
Our history page lets you explore more of the history of St Mary’s and the parish of Whitkirk.