Re-enactors at Castle Rising
Visitors to historic Castle Rising will have two opportunities to come face-to-face with British history during the August holidays.
The Norman castle near King’s Lynn, in Norfolk, will play host to two groups of historical re-enactors over five days. These re-enactors combine arena performances and displays of weapon skills with the informality of smoky camp fires and the opportunity to talk to participants and handle reproduction equipment and materials.
The first group to set up camp at Castle Rising will be Buckingham’s Retinue, all dedicated to the period popularly known as the Wars of the Roses. As a retinue, members wear the black and red personal livery of the Stafford family, Dukes of Buckingham, who played a prominent role in the politics and battles in this period. All the great families had such personal armies each wearing the livery colours and badges of their lord. One Duke of Buckingham even helped King Richard III to seize the throne in 1483 but then led an abortive revolt against the same king in the following year which ended with the Duke’s downfall and execution.
The Buckingham men wear armour and handle weapons like the longbow and the bill (a type of long-handled axe) but they also have the then latest thing - gunpowder artillery. So be ready for a few bangs when they fire a bombard. The female members wear the 15th century’s latest fashions and can give a first-hand account of what these feel like. The Buckingham Retinue will be at Castle Rising on August 2 and 3.
The second group visiting Castle Rising are Black Knight Historical which will present Soldiers Through The Ages on the Bank Holiday weekend of August 23 to 25. Black Knight were at Castle Rising in May and will return with a variety of groups reflecting English history from the Ancient Britains of Queen Boudicca up to the Second World War.
The format is similar to Buckingham’s, arena exhibitions on one side of the castle keep while tents, pavilions and camp fires are set up around the grounds with displays of life from the 1st Century AD onwards. Several groups look at the Middle Ages while others concentrate on the 18th and 19th century. All wear authentically recreated clothes. Want to find out what wearing a medieval woollen dress feels like in high summer? Ask one of the ladies!
The castle is still owned by the Howard family, who are descendants of the original builder in 1138 AD. It is managed in co-operation with English Heritage. Ticket prices on special event days are higher. Adults £10, concessions £9, children £8 or a family of four for £33. English Heritage members who normally enter Castle Rising for free receive a 50% discount on these prices. All events start at 10am.
Re-enactors at Castle Rising
Visitors to historic Castle Rising will have two opportunities to come face-to-face with British history during the August holidays.
The Norman castle near King’s Lynn, in Norfolk, will play host to two groups of historical re-enactors over five days. These re-enactors combine arena performances and displays of weapon skills with the informality of smoky camp fires and the opportunity to talk to participants and handle reproduction equipment and materials.
The first group to set up camp at Castle Rising will be Buckingham’s Retinue, all dedicated to the period popularly known as the Wars of the Roses. As a retinue, members wear the black and red personal livery of the Stafford family, Dukes of Buckingham, who played a prominent role in the politics and battles in this period. All the great families had such personal armies each wearing the livery colours and badges of their lord. One Duke of Buckingham even helped King Richard III to seize the throne in 1483 but then led an abortive revolt against the same king in the following year which ended with the Duke’s downfall and execution.
The Buckingham men wear armour and handle weapons like the longbow and the bill (a type of long-handled axe) but they also have the then latest thing - gunpowder artillery. So be ready for a few bangs when they fire a bombard. The female members wear the 15th century’s latest fashions and can give a first-hand account of what these feel like. The Buckingham Retinue will be at Castle Rising on August 2 and 3.
The second group visiting Castle Rising are Black Knight Historical which will present Soldiers Through The Ages on the Bank Holiday weekend of August 23 to 25. Black Knight were at Castle Rising in May and will return with a variety of groups reflecting English history from the Ancient Britains of Queen Boudicca up to the Second World War.
The format is similar to Buckingham’s, arena exhibitions on one side of the castle keep while tents, pavilions and camp fires are set up around the grounds with displays of life from the 1st Century AD onwards. Several groups look at the Middle Ages while others concentrate on the 18th and 19th century. All wear authentically recreated clothes. Want to find out what wearing a medieval woollen dress feels like in high summer? Ask one of the ladies!
The castle is still owned by the Howard family, who are descendants of the original builder in 1138 AD. It is managed in co-operation with English Heritage. Ticket prices on special event days are higher. Adults £10, concessions £9, children £8 or a family of four for £33. English Heritage members who normally enter Castle Rising for free receive a 50% discount on these prices. All events start at 10am.