The Bowman of Warwick takes up residence at Kenilworth Castle

It has been centuries since soldiers last used Kenilworth Castle as a training ground, but one of the UK’s top historic interpreters, Warwickshire-based Kevin Hicks, will be doing just that when it becomes the archery range for the Bowman of Warwick from January!

Kevin is already a regular performer at Kenilworth Castle, most recently presenting the story of the 1914 Christmas Truce between the British and German armies, but he will be turning back the clock a further 500 years when he swaps his tommy gun for a longbow each month, as he practices his skills at the noble art of archery.

“As an archer, you need to practice regularly to keep your eye in, and to keep your muscles in good order, but shooting arrows at a target in a farmer’s field just lacks the atmosphere that you get from practicing within a real medieval stronghold,” explains Kevin. “Having spent a lot of time at Kenilworth Castle over the last year, it seemed only logical to approach English Heritage to see if I could train here, and was delighted when they said yes.”

Kevin is one of the most accomplished historic archers in the country, firing a bow made of yew, which is a copy of one of the longbows found on the Marie Rose. Kevin’s bow has a ‘draw’ (the amount of pressure required to pull back the string to full stretch) of 75lb to 80lb – compared to modern competitive bows, which require a pull of only 15lb to 20lb! Comparable with the best British archers at the famous Battle of Agincourt, where around 5000 English archers fired around 40,000 arrows per hour, Kevin can shoot between 15 and 20 arrows in a minute – with deadly accuracy!

“This is a great opportunity for Kenilworth’s visitors to see one of the top historic archers in the country practicing his art,” adds Kenilworth Castle’s visitor operations manager, Holly Woodward. “Kevin’s not only a fine archer, but is hugely knowledgeable too, so no doubt he’ll keep his audiences captivated each time he visits!”

Visitors will be able to watch Kevin as he trains, and talk to him between shooting sessions. Dressed as the Bowman of Warwick, he’ll answer questions on archery skills. Weather permitting, Kevin will be training at Kenilworth Castle on:
Sunday 31 January
Sunday 21 February
Sunday 28 March
Sunday 25 April
Sunday 23 May
Sunday 27 June

Kenilworth Castle is open daily throughout the winter from 10.00am to 4.00pm (Closed 24 – 26 Dec & 1 Jan 2010). Admission prices are £7.60 for adults, £6.50 for concessions and £3.80 for children, or £19.00 for a family ticket (two adults and up to three children). English Heritage members get in free.

Opening times for 2010 are: 1 Apr – 31 Oct 10am – 5pm daily 1 Nov – 28 Feb 10am – 4pm daily 1 – 31 Mar 10am – 5pm daily Closed 24 – 26 Dec & 1 Jan

For more information, please visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/kenilworthcastle or call 01926 852078
ENDS