The History of the Christmas Crib ~ November 2025

A fascinating and interesting talk by Tim Everson on the background and history of the Christmas Cribs that we see in Churches, towns and our own homes each year.

St Francis of Assisi is credited with creating and popularising the first Christmas Crib in 1223 AD.  But images of the Nativity and the visitations by the shepherds and Wise Men have been in place since early times, and even today, different and modern versions continue to appear. We heard about Cribs ancient and modern,  the Parade of Cribs in Krakow, and the many varieties of Cribs including teddy bears and and a modern crib with the three gifts being delivered by Amazon.

Tim has a personal collection of rare and interesting Cribs which includes a Playmobile version.

Tim is a local author and his book "The History of the Christmas Crib" and others on the history of local towns are available at Waterstones and on Amazon.