Romans, Remedies, Raptors and Robin – Family fun at Kenilworth Castle!

Saturday 29 – Bank Holiday Monday 31 May 2010 2000 years of fun, packed into one weekend – that’s what is promised at Kenilworth Castle & Elizabethan Garden this Bank Holiday weekend as it welcomes centurions, the Sheriff of Nottingham, master falconers and even a medieval wise woman as part of its Family Festival!

For three days, some of the finest historic re-enactors from around the country will entertain and enthral visitors young and old in a fun, interactive weekend of storytelling, innovation and hand-to-hand combat training guaranteed to enthral and educate!

In the medieval armour tent, visitors can meet the Sheriff of Nottingham, who is plotting ahead of the arrival of Robin Hood himself the following week. The Sheriff, played by sword-fighting teacher, Mark Vance, will show bands of merry young visitors how the sword can be a man’s best friend, whilst his colleague demonstrates how skills with a quarterstaff made Friar Tuck such a formidable adversary! Each day, the Sheriff’s young recruits will be invited to launch an assault on Sherwood Forest, with parents playing outlaws!

Meanwhile, across the site and some 1000 years earlier, Centurion Titus and his Optio (second in command) will lead visitors in some of the essentials of Roman drill, in much the same way as the Roman army conscripted local Britons into their ranks when they invaded in the first century AD. The troops will have to learn to accept orders in Latin, and have the chance to get to grips with wooden training swords and shields, try on some of the heavy equipment and armour worn by real Roman soldiers, and practice the battle formations that led the Roman army to victory across Europe! In the Roman tent, they can also try their hand at making a Roman coin (a small charge applied).

“Although we’ve got re-enactors from different time periods, this does fit in well with one of the themes of the day, namely that time as we know it was not a concept familiar to Roman or medieval soldiers,” explains English Heritage’s events manager, Tom Course. “In the Heuristics tent, visitors will find out that the medieval day was split into twelve ‘hours’ of daylight and twelve ‘hours’ of night, irrespective of whether it was midsummer or midwinter – so a summer ‘hour’ could easily last 90 minutes, whilst a winter ‘hour’ might be half as long!”

Indeed, visitors can watch as Thomas the inventor builds one of the earliest clocks, a mechanical timepiece from the late 12th century. Other shows from the Heuristics duo include a medicine show, with Lady Katherine the wise woman explaining the unusual – and sometimes stomach-turning – remedies used for common ailments, and a mini castle siege, when children build a model of Kenilworth Castle and then knock it down using siege weapons!

The three-day event will also include medieval falconry, from Raphael Falconry, featuring a variety of owls and hawks, and face painting for younger children.

The Family Festival, which is sponsored by Ecclesiastical Insurance, runs Saturday, Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday 29-31 May from 11.00am to 5.00pm, with the Castle and Elizabethan Garden opening one hour earlier. Admission prices are £9.60 for adults, £8.50 for concessions, £5.80 for children or £25.00 for a family ticket (two adults and up to three children). English Heritage members receive discounted admission of £2.00 for adults, £1.50 for concessions, £1.00 for children or £5.00 for a family.

Pre-booking is strongly recommended; tickets can be pre-booked by calling 0870 333 1183 or visiting www.english-heritage.org.uk/events

Please note that a Park & Ride service operated by Johnson’s Shuttle Bus runs every 10-15 minutes from 10am – 6pm from the Kenilworth Clock Tower bus stop (in front of Kenilworth Holiday Inn). Visitors are requested to park in the town centre car parks, charges may apply. (Disabled parking is available at the Castle).

For more details, please contact Kenilworth Castle direct on 01926 852078, or visit the website at www.english-heritage.org.uk/kenilworth

ENDS

Ecclesiastical has been providing insurance advice and protection for the Anglican Church since 1887, so has a culture of understanding historic buildings and protects a large part of the nation's heritage. As well as churches, Ecclesiastical now insures some of our finest country houses, castles and historic buildings as well as many charities, schools and care homes. In addition, they also provide personal insurances and financial products and advice.

Ecclesiastical has been working with English Heritage for more than 20 years across various initiatives and will again collaborate with them as title sponsor of Festival of History and with support of other regional events.

For further media information, please contact: Jay Commins PRO – English Heritage Tel: 0113 251 5698 Mob: 07810 546567 Email: jay@fim.org.uk