Pickering’s Wartime Weekend

[Guest post by Joe Bean in Pickering, England] When I visited Pickering recently it was like entering a time warp. Once a year, this small market town in the north of England holds a 1940s Wartime Weekend. The buildings have tape across the windows, the shops have signs about rationing and the streets buzz with thousands of people in authentic vintage period outfits dressed as bank managers, police constables, vicars, doctors, air raid wardens, nurses, land army girls, schoolchildren and military personnel. All of which leads to fantastic sketching opportunities.

Vintage vehicles of every description, from bicycles to trucks, travel the roads around the town. Some are parked with their proud owners ready to be sketched.

I love the variety of costumes, from the smart uniforms to the fantastic hats, coats and dresses of the women.

It was only the second time I’ve visited the event and people seemed interested in my sketching, particularly the subjects of the sketches themselves who were eager to see the results. No pressure then! Luckily they appeared to be happy with the results.

All in all it was a great day: I filled a few more pages in my sketchbook and met some very interesting people. I’m already looking forward to next year and another trip back to the 1940s.

Joe Bean is a graphic designer and illustrator from Leeds, England. See more of his work at his Flickr site