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Welcome to History
UK - Living History!
NOVEMBER and DECEMBER 2009
Scroll
down the page to view details of our selected
events, listed by Time Period and then by
date.
Please
note: Historic-UK.com take no liability for errors, subsequent
changes or cancellations. You are advised to check on dates
and times if you are making plans to attend.
Visit the Living History
section of the Historic UK website for living history societies,
PHOTO ALBUMS, marketplace and more!
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FEATURED EVENT
November 8th & November 15th 2009
11am-4pm
West Stow Country Park & Anglo Saxon Village
Icklingham
Road, West Stow, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28 6HG
Deck the Hall!
Yule Fest.
Crafts stalls, live traditional music and festive cheer. A
chance to buy some unusual Christmas gifts and to also visit
the Village for free! The Anglo-Saxon Hall will be decorated
to celebrate Yule, just as our pagan ancestors may have
done. Adults and accompanied children. FREE ENTRY
to Yule
Fest and FREE ENTRY to the Anglo-Saxon Village on both days.
For more details please call 01284 728718 or email
westow@stedsbc.gov.uk
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EVENTS 2009 |
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PREHISTORIC
BRITAIN 4000BC - 43AD
Sunday 13th
December 2009
11am-3pm
Stonehenge, Wiltshire
The annual
Midwinters Past
walk takes place on Sunday 13th December 2009
between 11am – 3pm. The 5.5 mile walk takes participants
around the Stonehenge Landscape where they will learn about
what our Neolithic ancestors would have been doing in the
run-up to the midwinter festival. Booking is essential by
calling 01980 664780. Donations are welcomed.
www.stonehenge.co.uk
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ROMAN BRITAIN
43AD - 410
Second
Weekend in Every Month
Veralamium Museum, StyAlbans
Legion XIIII on Guard.
Verulamium Museum is invaded every
second weekend in the month by Roman soldiers who
demonstrate the tactics and equipment of the Roman Imperial
Army. Free.
Contact 01727 751 810
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VIKINGS AND OTHER INVADERS
410 - 1066
November 8th & November 15th 2009
11am-4pm
West Stow Country Park & Anglo Saxon Village
Icklingham
Road, West Stow, Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, IP28 6HG
Deck the Hall!
Yule Fest.
Crafts stalls, live traditional music and festive cheer. A
chance to buy some unusual Christmas gifts and to also visit
the Village for free! The Anglo-Saxon Hall will be decorated
to celebrate Yule, just as our pagan ancestors may have
done. Adults and accompanied children. FREE ENTRY
to Yule
Fest and FREE ENTRY to the Anglo-Saxon Village on both days.
For more details please call 01284 728718 or email
westow@stedsbc.gov.uk
 February
20th - 21st 2010
Jorvik Viking
Centre, York
JORVIK Viking
Festival - 25th Anniversary. JORVIK Viking
Festival keeps alive the 1000-year-old tradition of 'Jolablot',
the original Viking festival that celebrates the end of the
long, cold, northern winter nights and the coming of spring. Viking procession through the streets of York leading
to the grand battles. More details: 01904 543400
Heritage Accommodation in Yorkshire
Every night throughout the year
Market Square,
Ripon, North Yorkshire
Every night, in
a tradition dating from 886 A.D., at 9 pm. the
Wakeman blows his horn in the Market Square
at the four corners of the Obelisk to 'set the watch'. The
City has 3 'sounding' horns, the oldest of which (no longer
blown because of antiquity) is known as the 'Charter' horn
and is dated A.D. 886 since, according to ancient tradition,
it symbolised the granting of 'charter rites' to Ripon in
that year. The second horn is dated 1690; the third, an
African Ox horn (blown daily today) was given to the city in
1865 by the then serving Mayor.
Heritage Accommodation in North Yorkshire
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NORMANS
1066 - 1216
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MIDDLE AGES 1216 - 1485
VIDEO SHORT:
Wars of the Roses Re-enactment, Kenilworth
Castle 2007 - click here to view (Please
note - opens in a new window)
26th - 29th November
2009 10am - 5pm
Barley Hall, York, Yorkshire
St. Nicholas Fayre. Medieval
traders gather to sell their wares. Living history and
unique gifts. Traditional wine and ale at the bar.
£2 adults, £1 concessions, £5 family of four.
Barley Hall is a stunning medieval house,
once home to the Priors of Nostell and the Mayor of York.
Until the 1980s the house was hidden under the relatively
modern facade of a derelict office block. Only when the
building was going to be destroyed was the amazing medieval
building discovered and its history uncovered.
The building has now been lovingly
restored to its original splendour with stunning high
ceilings, beautiful exposed timber frames, and possibly the
only horn window in England. It has been decorated to
replicate what it would have looked like as the Snawsell
home around 1483 and boasts a magnificent Great Hall.
Visitors to Barley Hall can make themselves at home and sit
on the chairs and handle the objects and experience what it
would have been like to live in Medieval England.
Heritage
Accommodation in Yorkshire
28th & 29th November
2009
Ludlow,
Shropshire
Ludlow
Medieval Christmas Fayre
Celebrate the start of the festive season with this medieval fayre,
set in the town centre outside Ludlow Castle, one of the most
beautiful and best preserved medieval castles in England. The fair
starts with a floodlit Saturday evening and then for two days you
can savour the sights and sounds of historic Ludlow as traders in
medieval and other historic garb present all the ingredients of a
traditional Christmas. More details:
http://www.ludlowmedievalchristmas.co.uk/
Heritage
Accommodation in Shropshire
December
24th - Christmas Eve
Dewsbury Minster, Dewsbury , Yorkshire
Tolling the Devil's Knell - Custom dating
from the Middle Ages
Legend has it that in the Middle Ages, Sir
Thomas de Soothill committed a murder and to gain redemption
for his soul, donated a tenor bell to his parish church at
Dewsbury. The bell became known as Black Tom of Soothill.
Sir Thomas is credited for starting the custom of ringing the
tenor bell on Christmas Eve, striking the number of years
since Christ's birth - this year therefore it will ring 2009
times. There may be three explanations for this custom:
- to keep the Devil away from Dewsbury for
another 12 months;
- that the Devil died when Christ was
born;
or - by His birth, death and resurrection, Christ
vanquished the Devil
Heritage Accommodation in
Yorkshire
Sunday 3rd January
2010
On the Bankside by Shakespeare's Globe, London
At 2.45pm
Twelfth Night 2010. Celebrations will be held on
Sunday 3 January 2010.
Twelfth Night is an annual seasonal celebration held in
the Bankside area of London. It is a celebration of the New
Year, mixing ancient seasonal customs with contemporary
festivity. It is free, accessible to all and happens
whatever the weather.
The Twelfth Night Programme:
THE
HOLLY MAN FROM THE THAMES
To herald the celebration,
the extraordinary HOLLY MAN, the Winter guise of the GREEN
MAN (from pagan myths and folklore), decked in fantastic
green garb and evergreen foliage, appears from the River
Thames brought by the Thames Cutter, Master Shipbroker
(boat subject to weather!)
THE BANKSIDE WASSAILS
With the crowd, led by the
BANKSIDE MUMMERS, the HOLLY MAN will 'bring in the green'
and 'WASSAIL' or toast the people and the River Thames
(an old tradition encouraging good growth). The Globe will
be wassailed in like fashion.
THE MUMMERS' PLAY
The MUMMERS will
then process to the BANKSIDE JETTY, and perform the
traditional 'freestyle' FOLK COMBAT PLAY of St. George,
featuring the Turkey Sniper, Clever Legs, the Old 'Oss and
many others, dressed in their spectacular 'guizes'.
The play is full of wild verse and boisterous action, a
time-honoured part of the season recorded from the Crusades.
KING BEAN AND QUEEN PEA
CAKES
distributed at the end of the play have a BEAN and a PEA
hidden in two of them. Those who find them are hailed KING
and QUEEN for the day and crowned with ceremony. They then
lead the people through the streets to the historic
GEORGE INN in
Borough High Street for a fine warming up with STORYTELLING,
the KISSING WISHING TREE and more DANCING.
TWELFTH NIGHT is
FREE and accessible to all
Tel:
020 8452 3866
info@thelionspart.co.uk
www.thelionspart.co.uk e
season recorded from the Crusades.
Accommodation in Castles
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THE TUDORS 1485 - 1603
1 November 2009
Ford Green Hall,
Ford Green Road,
Smallthorne,
Stoke on Trent
Staffordshire
ST6 1NG
Tudor Grave Digger. Last Halloween you enjoyed the Tudor
Surgeon; now come and see the Grave Digger if you dare. Not
for the faint hearted! 1 - 4pm.
Ford
Green Hall is a 17th century timber-framed farmhouse
complete with period garden. An award-winning museum, the
Hall offers visitors a fascinating insight into the life of
the 17th century. The rooms are furnished with an
outstanding collection of textiles, ceramics and furniture.
Normal admission to the Hall applies.
Saturday 5th &Sunday 6th, 12th & 13th, 19th & 20th
December 11am - 4pm
Little Moreton Hall, Cheshire
Little Moreton Hall at Yuletide.
Escape the hustle and bustle of the high streets and visit
Little Moreton Hall this December where the ground floor of
the Hall is traditionally decorated to celebrate a Tudor
Christmas. Visit the warm and inviting Restaurant for a
mince pie or two before a spot of present shopping in our
friendly, well stocked National Trust Shop. Musical
performances, storytelling and a children's Christmas trail
(small charge applies) make a trip to Little Moreton Hall a
Yuletide treat for all the family. More details: 01260 272018
Heritage
Accommodation in Cheshire
Sunday December
13th 2009
Sulgrave Manor, Oxfordshire
The
Traditions of Yuletide.
See the Great Hall
magnificently bedecked with seasonal greenery and, with
candles glowing, hear the Lord of the Manor tell of the
customs and traditions of Christmas past, and his Cook talk
of food and feasting. Timed tickets issued on arrival.
Contact : 01295
760 205
Sunday December 6th 2009 at 3.30pm
Hereford Cathedral, Hereford
Evensong and Ceremony of the Boy Bishop.
The Feast of Fools, presided
over by the Lord of Misrule, was part of the traditions
of Christmas in Tudor times
and involved role reversal. Following this tradition, the
Church allowed a choirboy, elected by his peers, to be a Bishop during the period starting with St. Nicholas Day
(6th December) until Holy Innocents Day (28th December). Within the period the chosen boy, symbolising the lowliest authority, would dress in full Bishop's regalia and conduct the Church services. Many of the great cathedrals adopted this custom including York, Winchester, Salisbury
Canterbury and Westminster. Henry VIII abolished Boy Bishops however a few churches,
including Hereford Cathedral, continue the practice today.
Sunday 27th December
2009
Sulgrave
Manor, Oxfordshire
A Winter
Wassail.
We know it’s a little early
to celebrate Twelfth Night but we’re closed in January. Come
and join us in tree dressing our orchard, enjoy music and
mummers plays and hear about Twelfth night customs. Enjoy a
glass of warm wassail and yet more mince pies!
Contact : 01295
760 205
Heritage
Accommodation in Oxfordshire
December 26th 2009 - 1st January 2010
Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, Singleton, Chichester, West Sussex
Daily 10.30 am - 4
pm (included in admission to the Museum).
A TASTE OF THE TUDOR
CHRISTMAS
Experience the traditions of Christmas past and
discover how our ancestors enjoyed the Festive Season. Walk
off the Christmas pud as you enjoy our traditionally
decorated houses with their crackling log fires, with many
decorated for Christmas in the style of the period when they
were originally built. Also enjoy a variety of festive fare,
music and stories from Tudor to Victorian times. Come and
enjoy a truly merry Sussex Christmas in our beautiful
downland setting.
http://www.wealddown.co.uk
December 27th - 3rd
January 2010
Hampton Court Palace, London
 Tudor Christmas.
Join Henry VIII and his wife as they
celebrate the festive season at Hampton Court
Palace.
There'll be musicians and court
entertainments in the State Apartments while, down in the Tudor Kitchens, the
cooks will be preparing food
fit for a royal Christmas. The palace will also be decorated
with festive arrangements from 19
December until Twelfth Night.
The
Hampton Court Palace Ice Rink also returns this
festive period for yet another splendid skating
season.
This is also your last chance to see Henry
VIII's tapestry revealed in Mary II's Apartments
- hurry, the display ends on 3 January 2010.
Heritage
Accommodation in London
Accommodation in Tudor and/or Stuart Houses
Lavenham Priory, Lavenham,
Suffolk
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THE
STUARTS 1603 - 1714
Sunday November 1st 11.00am - 4.00pm
Donnington-Le-Heath Manor House, Leicestershire
Gunpowder,
Treason and Plot! Discover why we celebrate the 5th November with bonfires and fireworks. Experience the power of Gunpowder and learn the whole story of the 1605 plot against James
the First in a house owned by one of the plotters. Part of the event will be up difficult stairs.
FREE but
a small charge for some of the craft activities. Telephone 01530 831259
Heritage Accommodation in
Leicestershire
November 7th & 8th 11.00am - 5.00pm
Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Abbey, Essex
Guy Fawkes Experience.
A family weekend of
activities themed around the
Gunpowder Plot. Discover the story of the plot and its
characters through talks, interactive scenes including
learning about Stuart era foods, how secret messages were
used between the conspirators and meeting the ghost of Guy
Fawkes. Costumed re-enactors will be on site to talk to you and
answer questions about daily life and military activity at
the time of the Gunpowder Plot.
Spectacular firework finale
approx. 4.45pm.
Telephone: 01992 707370 for details
Saturday 12th & Sunday 13th December 11.00am - 4.00pm
Donnington-Le-Heath Manor House, Leicestershire
Christmas at the 17th century Manor.
Experience Christmas in the 17th century, with a mummers
play, period carols and music, costumed re-enactors,
demonstrations and presentations on Christmas customs,
food and games. Part of the event will be up difficult
stairs. Admission is Free. Telephone
: 01530 831259
Sunday January 31st 2010 11.30am
Whitehall, London
Each year, on the last Sunday in January,
the King´s Army (the Royalist half of the English Civil War Society) retraces the route taken by King Charles I from St James Palace to the place of his execution at the Banqueting House in Whitehall.
The King's Army are privileged to be able to commemorate each year, on the last Sunday in January,
the
death of King Charles I.
By kind permission of the Royal
Parks Department, the King’s Army Annual March and Parade
will again follow the route taken by Charles I to the place
of his untimely death at the Banqueting House in Whitehall,
London. This event is an established part of the London
calendar and has followed the same format now for over
thirty years.
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GEORGIAN BRITAIN 1714 - 1837
Saturdays 7th November,
5th December 2009 and 6th February 2010
Geffrye Museum,
Kingsland Road, London E2 8EA
Restored Historic
Almshouse. Visit one of the Geffrye’s 18th century
almshouses which has been fully restored to its original
condition, offering a rare glimpse into the lives of
London’s poor and elderly in former times.
Timed entries on Saturdays are at 11.00am,
12.00pm, 2.00pm and 3.00pm.
Tickets: Adults £2.00, Friends of the
Geffrye, disabled visitors and children under 16 free.
Numbers are limited and will be allocated on a first-come,
first-served basis. Please note that only groups of 8 or
more can book in advance.
Tuesday 24th November
2009 - Sunday 3rd January 2010
Geffrye Museum,
Kingsland Road, London E2 8EA
Christmas Past: 400 Years Of Seasonal Traditions In
English Homes. Recapture the magic of Christmas with a visit to the
Geffrye’s annual Christmas Past exhibition. Each
year, the museum’s period rooms are decorated in authentic
festive style to evoke some of the rich and colourful
traditions of Christmases past which are often forgotten
amid the hubbub of the modern festive season.
Throughout the exhibition, festive food will be served in
the restaurant and visitors can hunt for original gifts,
decorations, cards and books in the shop.
Wednesday 6th January 2010
4pm - 5pm
Geffrye Museum,
Kingsland Road, London E2 8EA
Farewell to
Christmas.
Join us in the Geffrye’s own traditional burning of the
holly and the ivy, celebrated with carol singing, stories
about Epiphany and a taste of mulled wine and Twelfth Night
cake. Please note that this event takes place in the garden,
so wrap up warm! FREE ADMISSION
Heritage
Accommodation in London
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THE
VICTORIAN AGE 1837 - 1901
21st November &
22nd November 2009 10am - 4pm
Osborne House, Isle of Wight
A Victorian Christmas. Step back in time and experience
the spirit of a traditional
Victorian
Christmas. Delight in magic and illusion at
the side-shows and marvel at the travelling theatre. Enjoy
carol singing and a chance to meet
Queen Victoria herself.
Heritage
Accommodation on the Isle of Wight
27th November -
29th November 2009 10am - 6pm
Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, Portsmouth, Hampshire
PO1 3LJ
A Victorian Festival of Christmas.
Transport your family on a journey through time to
experience a day out, Victorian-style, at the tenth annual
Victorian Festival of Christmas at Portsmouth Historic
Dockyard, where snow is guaranteed! Whilst revelling in the
traditional seasonal cheer of a white Victorian Christmas,
your family can step back over 150 years to experience the
strict rules of a Victorian school, sample hearty Victorian
food, visit a traditional Victorian ‘green’ Father
Christmas, play parlour games, join in with novel bawdy
music hall in Fagin’s Tavern and delight in traditional
Christmas carols, street and fairground entertainments.
Heritage
Accommodation in Hampshire
28th
& 29th November, 5th & 6th December 2009 10am - 4pm
Delgatie Castle, Delgatie, Turriff, Banff, Scotland AB53 5TD
Victorian Christmas Fayre.
Come and celebrate
Christmas the old fashioned way when you visit the original,
the biggest and best
Victorian
Christmas event in the north east at Delgatie Castle.
Delgatie Castle invites you to experience a traditional
Victorian Christmas and take care of your Christmas shopping
at the same time. The Castle will be adorned throughout with
traditional decorations and castle staff will be dressed in
elegant Victorian costume. We will also be recreating a
traditional Victorian Christmas table as well as 12 days of
Christmas. The Children get an early present from Santa and
adults are given a complimentary glass of mulled wine. The
now famous “Laird’s Kitchen” will be open throughout the day
serving delicious sweet and savoury delights including home
made mincemeat pies, Christmas pudding and home baking.
Entrance to the
Victorian Xmas is £6.00 for adults and £4 for children. For
further information please contact Mrs Joan Johnson at
Delgatie Castle, 01888 563479
Self Catering Accommodation in Delgatie Castle - sleeps 5
More
Accommodation in Castles - hotels, B&B, self catering
Heritage
Accommodation in Aberdeenshire
December
5th and 6th 2009
Rochester, Kent
A Dickensian
Christmas.
A Christmas experience in the heart of the land of Dickens.
In addition to the street entertainment, musicians and
costumed characters perform around the festival area.
Parades and processions and magical stalls offering a huge
range of Christmas fare. The day is completed with a Carol
Concert outside Rochester's magnificent Cathedral. Among the
highlights of this weekend's festival are a grand parade
through the town at noon on both days and a candlelit parade each day at
4.45pm.
Heritage Accommodation in
Kent
December 5th and 6th 2009 10am - 4pm (last admission 3.30pm)
Museum of Lincolnshire Life, Burton Road, Lincoln
LN1 3LY
A Victorian
Christmas. Join a host of colourful Victorian characters
as they prepare for the festive season in our popular living
history event.. FREE ENTRY. Tel: 01522 528 448
Sunday 13th December
Royal Gunpowder Mills, Waltham Abbey, Essex
Victorian
Christmas. The Royal Gunpowder Mills is pleased to announce the
return of our ever popular family Victorian Christmas event.
Join us for the following fun and entertaining activities:
» Pantomime performance of "Jack and the Beanstalk".
» Mick Scott the Victorian Magician
» Participate in art and craft activities.
» Play Victorian games.
» Learn about Victorian foods and gifts.
» Sing Christmas Carols.
» Meet Colonel Brackenbury and his family as they celebrate
Christmas.
and last but not least….
» Meet Father Christmas in his grotto where children can
receive a gift.
Please choose a morning or afternoon session.
Sessions last approximately 2 hours and start at 11am and
1pm.
Advance booking is required. Phone 01992 707370 or
Email
for more information.
December 26th 2009 - 1st January 2010
Weald and Downland Open Air Museum, Singleton, Chichester, West Sussex
Daily 10.30 am - 4
pm (included in admission to the Museum).
A TASTE OF CHRISTMAS
Experience the traditions of Christmas past and
discover how our ancestors enjoyed the Festive Season. Walk
off the Christmas pud as you enjoy our traditionally
decorated houses with their crackling log fires, with many
decorated for Christmas in the style of the period when they
were originally built. Also enjoy a variety of festive fare,
music and stories from Tudor to Victorian times. Come and
enjoy a truly merry Sussex Christmas in our beautiful downland setting.
http://www.wealddown.co.uk |
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EDWARDIAN
ERA AND WW1
1901 - 1918
14th November 2009 to
3rd January 2010
Beamish Museum, Beamish, County Durham, DH9 0RG
Christmas at Beamish.
Experience an Edwardian Christmas in The Town and
Colliery Village. For the first time ever in 2009, Beamish
will be offering a whole season of Christmas festivities.
Christmas at Beamish will run from 14th November 2009 to 3rd
January 2010 (closed Mondays, Fridays & Christmas Day). The
Town and Colliery Village will take on a festive feel with
period decorations from the early 1900s, there will be
traditional entertainment and, at weekends, Father Christmas
in his grotto.
Langtry Manor Hotel, Bournemouth, Dorset
An Edwardian Banquet. Our 7 course Edwardian Banquet
takes place every Saturday night and is served by staff in
Edwardian tails and the girls in mob caps and aprons ( as in
'Upstairs Downstairs'). All the food is presented to guests
as it would be at one of Edward VII's banquets. There is a
short interlude by an actress describing Lillie Langtry’s
and Edwards’s story in words and music. More details on
our website
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POST WW1 AND WW2
1918 - 1960
5th
& 6th, 12th & 13th December 2009 12pm - 4pm
Upton House and Gardens, Warwickshire
1930s Christmas at Upton.
Discover Lord and lady Bearsted's unique and stylish 1930s
Christmas, as the ground floor is opened with a floral
flair!
Heritage
Accommodation in Warwickshire
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