Pickering Book Tree

Midsummer Festival: Amy Jeffs
2026-06-22 13:00 - 14:00 (Europe/London) | St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church, Hallgarth, Pickering, YO18 7BE, United Kingdom
Saints
St.Peter and St. Paul’s Church | Doors from 12.30pm | Tickets £5
Join us for an event steeped in mythological history with author, medieval culture historian and artist, Amy Jeffs. Hear about the history and legends of Saints featured in Amy’s book of the same name, in the setting of St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church where we’ll be surrounded by the famous and rarely preserved medieval wall paintings depicting these stories.
Amy will be in conversation with Alex from Pickering Book Tree, whose background is also in medieval history. It’s set to be a fascinating discussion about Amy’s retellings of the legends and the histories behind them in her book Saints, which is thoroughly researched, thoughtfully compiled and beautifully illustrated with her own black paper cut-outs. On Amy’s website, she says of her work: “All my books are based on primary research. I care about faithfully and rigorously drawing readers into the sources I work with: historical manuscripts, literature, music and art. All my books are invitations to discussion, close-looking and wonder, rooted in real places and lives. My illustrations are made at home, with wood, Lino, ink and paper.”
The Tablet, who chose Saints as their Book of the Year, described it as “a book of remarkable beauty, mystery and originality“ and that “the legends are beautifully told and illustrated . . . The writer’s approach is both imaginative and scholarly”.

About the Book
A rewarding and beguiling collection of legends that are little known, a wide-ranging introduction to medieval saints’ lives — The Literary Review
From the Sunday Times bestselling author of Storyland and Wild, comes a sweeping new legendary of miracles, magic, human frailty and heroic strength. Illustrated with over thirty original paper cutouts by the author.
Saints’ legends suffused medieval European culture. Their heroes’ suffering and wonder-working shaped landscapes, rituals and folk beliefs. Their tales spoke of men raised by wolves, women communing with flocks of birds and severed heads calling from between bristling paws.
In Saints, Amy Jeffs retells legends born of the medieval cult of saints. She draws on ‘official’ lives, vernacular romances, artworks and obscene poetry, all spanning from the fourth to the sixteenth centuries. The legends’ heroes originate from as far east as Turkey and North Africa and as far west as Britain and Ireland. Saints includes such enduring super saints as Brigid, George, Patrick and Michael, as well as some whose legends are less well known (Scoithín, Euphrosyne and Ia) or else couched in prejudice (William of Norwich).
The commentaries following the stories offer a history of each saint and, together, trace the rise and fall of the medieval cult of saints from the first martyrs to the Protestant Reformation. And all this maps onto the passing year: from St Mungo in January to St Thomas Becket in December.
Jeffs guides her readers from images high on the walls of medieval churches, through surviving treasures of the elite and into the shifting silt of the Thames, where lie the lowly image-bearing badges once treasured by pilgrims. She opens manuscripts that hold wondrous stories of the lives and deaths of wayfaring monks, oak-felling missionaries and mighty martyrs. With tales of demons and dragons, with the stubborn skull of a giant, with stories of sleepers in a concealed Greek cave, Saints will enchant and transport readers to other worlds.
Wonderful . . . Each lifestory is a gem . . . It’s beautifully written, evocative, informative, compulsive reading — Scottish Field Magazine

About the Author
Amy Jeffs writes and illustrates her critically acclaimed books from her home in Somerset. Her work engages with Britain’s medieval and early modern storytelling cultures. She has a PhD in Art History from Corpus Christi College, Cambridge.
Her work combines a love of nature and natural history with her academic training as a medievalist and art historian. She takes part in podcasts, Youtube shows and television documentaries and travels widely to speak about medieval and early modern cultures and how they can open our eyes to Britain’s heritage and oldest recorded stories.
Jeffs’ first book, Storyland: A New Mythology of Britain, was a Sunday Times bestseller, shortlisted for Waterstones Book of the Year and named a Times Historical Fiction Book of the Year. Her second book, Wild: Tales from Early Medieval Britain, explores an old idea of the wilderness through medieval stories of outcasts, monsters and the natural world. The audiobook, illustrated with song, was named audiobook of the week by the Times and the Guardian.
Saints: Legends of Heroes, Humans and Magic is her third book, and this was followed by Old Songs: Stories of Love and Death from Traditional Ballads in 2025.

Tickets
£5 from the shop counter (currently cash only) or online at ticketsource.com

Direct link to booking page here
The event will be held in the beautiful setting of St. Peter and St. Paul’s Church in Pickering, which is a perfect venue for this event with its incredible Medieval wall paintings.
£2 from each ticket will be donated towards the Church to help with maintenance and the ongoing restoration project.
Doors will be open from 12.30pm for a 1pm start.

Midsummer Festival: Aidan Meighan
2026-06-22 19:00 - 20:30 | Pickering Book Tree, 43a Market Place, Pickering, YO18 7AE
The Folklore of Trees
Pickering Book Tree | Doors from 6.30pm | Tickets FREE

The Folklore of Trees explores the fascinating stories and intriguing superstitions behind nature’s guardians. Insightfully written and beautifully illustrated by Aidan Meighan, it’s the perfect reading companion for every lover of the natural — and mythological — world.
This book reminds us of the enduring power of stories to connect us to our history, to nature and hopefully to an ever-greener future. We need to love life, we need to love trees — Chris Packham, wildlife TV presenter & campaigner
Uncover the myths, legends and secrets of the world’s most iconic trees.
Did you know that laurel is said to protect against snakebites and shield against witchcraft? Or that yews are often planted near graveyards to keep the devil out? Across cultures and centuries, trees have stood as guardians of life, inspiring stories that connect us to nature, spirituality and tradition.
The Folklore of Trees brings these tales together in a stunning hardback featuring a foreword by acclaimed naturalist, Chris Packham. Inside, you’ll explore 36 legendary species from around the globe, each paired with an intricate illustration and rich cultural context.
You’ll discover:

The Major Oak, said to shelter Robin Hood, and the baobabs of Madagascar, revered for their longevity.
Sacred trees of Celtic, Norse, Greek, Roman, Hindu, Buddhist and Indigenous traditions.
Fascinating myths behind olive branches of peace, dragon blood trees that bleed red sap and Japanese cherry blossoms symbolising life’s impermanence.
Seasonal customs, protective charms and superstitions.
A compact, beautifully designed format, perfect for gifting or personal reflection.

Whether you’re a nature lover, folklore enthusiast or simply curious about the stories rooted in our landscapes and forests, this book is your invitation to wander the cultural canopy.

About the Author
Aidan Meighan is an author, illustrator and arboreal devotee living in Somerset, with a passion for nature and storytelling. For fifteen years, Aidan has been passionately drawing trees, maps and beautiful places from around the world, working with travel and lifestyle books and magazines, brands and destinations, in his distinctive style.
Aidan is an enthusiast for the written word and print, being instrumental in the production of the Glastonbury Free Press newspaper since its inception in 2013. He is also a keen gardener and back-yard conservationist.
The Folklore of Trees is a joyful coming together of Aidan’s passions and interests.
You can find Aidan on his website, www.aidanmeighan.com, and on Instagram, @aidan_meighan.

Tickets
FREE from the shop counter or online at ticketsource.com

Direct link to booking page here

Doors will be open from 6.30pm for a 7pm start. The event will be held in our atmospheric upstairs event space.

Midsummer Festival: Tree Walk
2026-06-23 11:00 - 12:30 | Beck Isle Museum, Bridge Street, Pickering, YO18 8DU, United Kingdom
Tree Walk with Aidan Meighan
Meet outside Beck Isle Museum | Starts at 11am | Tickets £8 or £16 including sandwiches
Explore the folklore of the trees found on our doorstep here in Pickering!
Join arboreal devotee and author of The Folklore of Trees, Aidan Meighan, on an approximately two mile walk starting outside the Beck Isle Museum and following the Pickering Beck, before branching off around the Castle and down Burgate to the Church.
Along the way we’ll stop to hear about the legends, secrets and myths of the different tree species living on this beautiful route.
We’ll end the walk at The Forest and Vale Hotel garden, home to a 300+ year old sweet chestnut tree, with a sandwich buffet for those who choose to add this on to the walk. Drinks aren’t included, but the bar will be open for you to choose your favourite, from a cup of tea to an afternoon tipple!
The walk is generally considered an easy route along footpaths. If you have any questions about the route or accessibility, please contact Pickering Book Tree to discuss.
The event will go ahead in most weathers, so please come prepared for the day’s forecast. We’ll move inside at the Forest and Vale if it is raining.

About the Book
The Folklore of Trees explores the fascinating stories and intriguing superstitions behind nature’s guardians. Insightfully written and beautifully illustrated by Aidan Meighan, it’s the perfect reading companion for every lover of the natural — and mythological — world.
This book reminds us of the enduring power of stories to connect us to our history, to nature and hopefully to an ever-greener future. We need to love life, we need to love trees — Chris Packham, wildlife TV presenter & campaigner
Uncover the myths, legends and secrets of the world’s most iconic trees.
Did you know that laurel is said to protect against snakebites and shield against witchcraft? Or that yews are often planted near graveyards to keep the devil out? Across cultures and centuries, trees have stood as guardians of life, inspiring stories that connect us to nature, spirituality and tradition.
The Folklore of Trees brings these tales together in a stunning hardback featuring a foreword by acclaimed naturalist, Chris Packham. Inside, you’ll explore 36 legendary species from around the globe, each paired with an intricate illustration and rich cultural context.
You’ll discover:

The Major Oak, said to shelter Robin Hood, and the baobabs of Madagascar, revered for their longevity.
Sacred trees of Celtic, Norse, Greek, Roman, Hindu, Buddhist and Indigenous traditions.
Fascinating myths behind olive branches of peace, dragon blood trees that bleed red sap and Japanese cherry blossoms symbolising life’s impermanence.
Seasonal customs, protective charms and superstitions.
A compact, beautifully designed format, perfect for gifting or personal reflection.

Whether you’re a nature lover, folklore enthusiast or simply curious about the stories rooted in our landscapes and forests, this book is your invitation to wander the cultural canopy.

About the Author
Aidan Meighan is an author, illustrator and arboreal devotee living in Somerset, with a passion for nature and storytelling. For fifteen years, Aidan has been passionately drawing trees, maps and beautiful places from around the world, working with travel and lifestyle books and magazines, brands and destinations, in his distinctive style.
Aidan is an enthusiast for the written word and print, being instrumental in the production of the Glastonbury Free Press newspaper since its inception in 2013. He is also a keen gardener and back-yard conservationist.
The Folklore of Trees is a joyful coming together of Aidan’s passions and interests.
You can find Aidan on his website, www.aidanmeighan.com, and on Instagram, @aidan_meighan.

Tickets
£8 from the shop counter (currently cash only) or online at ticketsource.com

Direct link to booking page here
We’ll meet outside the Beck Isle Museum and start the walk at 11am, heading along the Beck and up to Pickering Castle.
We’ll end the walk in The Forest and Vale Hotel with sandwiches in the garden for those who have added this on. In the case of poor weather, we will move inside!
Sandwiches are an additional £8 per person and need to be booked in advance through the booking page or Pickering Book Tree, letting us know of any dietary requirements.
