Last Sunday we went to the English Heritage "Festival of History" event held in the grounds of Kelmarsh Hall, Northamptonshire. We went with my sister and her husband. This is an annual event, which through re-enactments and living history (and a bit of showbiz!) celebrates both military and civilian life of the past. There were groups re-creating periods such as ancient and Roman Britain, the Wars of the Roses, the English Civil War, Napoleonic and World War II. Re-enactment groups were re-creating various battles and military manoeuvres, whilst others stayed in character at their tents and talked about typical life of the period they represented. For instance, we talked to a lady in the 'Roman Britain' area and she told us about the typical food eaten by the Roman legions during occupation.
There were also many traders (dressed in period costume of course) selling various books, clothing, trinkets and food in the extensive market area. My sister bought an orange and purple cloak. Looked really good, and she told me it was so nice to wear!Notable events of the day included the large World War II re-enactment, with fighter planes, parachutists and explosions, and the mediaeval knights jousting in the tournament area - that's always fun to see. I just caught the end of the 'George vs the Dragon' show, which looked great for the kids to watch!
We also went to a talk by Alison Weir, author of "Innocent Traitor" about Lady Jane Grey, and "The Lady Elizabeth" to name but two of her historical novels. My sister got her to sign a book after the talk.It was a great day out, the only downside being the cold weather. Didn't feel like a July day at all! At least we had a nice picnic lunch inside out of the worst of the cold. We'll be attending the 'Battle of Bosworth' event next.
