TAKE a small village with a big house. Let in a King who executes an Archbishop, and you have the base of a story.

Add a rioting mob, a few Roman soldiers, Dad's Army, Dick Turpin and King Charles I dropping in for tea and you have a history.

Stir it all together with plenty of villagers, hundreds of costumes, a cannon, four horses, a dog, a goose and a rowing boat and you have the Bishopthorpe Pageant 2000.

Newly revived, the Bishopthorpe Pageant has a history of its own. Written by a vicar who must have had time on his hands for the summer of 1928, it is an outdoor play performed at the Archbishop's Palace, Bishopthorpe, York, telling the story of village, palace, prelates and princes from Roman times to the present

day.

The history of England seen through the eyes of Bishopthorpe, it was presented six times during the last century, but the last time was in 1970.

So when ideas for local Millennium events were being discussed back in 1997, villager Andrew Dunn rashly suggested restaging the pageant.

The Archbishop of York, His Grace Dr David Hope, enthusiastically gave the idea his support and preparations began.

The Heritage Lottery Fund backed the project with a grant of several thousand pounds, and fundraising added more.

Now, after hours of rehearsal in venues including back gardens,

and many more hours of frantic work by teams of back-stage costume-makers, prop-makers and others, the cast and crew are raring to go.

New scenes have been written; new music and songs have been added, and a sense a community has been forged among those taking part.

The opening night is tonight (Tuesday, July 18), and the show runs until Saturday July 22 at 7.30pm nightly. Ticket holders will be able to enjoy the palace gardens and refreshments from 6.30pm, and the ticket price has been deliberately kept low at £5 (£3 for children under 16).

Tickets are available from Lister's, Riley's the Chemist, the Marcia and the Ebor Inn or by calling York 705424.