I love all things medieval and luckily for me, Dan is always happy to humour me whether it involves spending the whole day at the Musée de Cluny in Paris, enjoying medieval music at the Red Lodge museum or sharing some mead and a slice of pizza at the Winterbourne medieval barn.
High on our medieval list was the Tewkesbury Medieval Festival and it sure didn’t disappoint!
Upon arriving in Tewkesbury, we were pleasantly surprised to discover a fabulous town with plenty of timbered houses and pubs and it became rapidly clear that the whole place had gone medieval. It was brilliant to see people dressed as 14th and 15th peasants, nobles just milling around as if it was the most perfectly natural thing.
Many buildings sported flags showcasing the arms of families involved in the Wars of the Roses and the excitement ahead of the battle was almost palpable.
The festival itself was packed with stalls selling fresh mead, glittering silver jewellery, handmade tunics, intricate swords and books full of medieval adventures.
But the main event was obviously the re-enactment of the Battle of Tewkesbury. Fought on 4 May 1471, the battle saw the forces of King Edward IV and his army loyal to the House of York completely defeated those of the rival House of Lancaster, lead by Lancastrian heir to the throne, Edward of Westminster, Prince of Wales.
The festival attracts re-enactors, traders, entertainers, and visitors from all over the world. It was brilliant to snap pictures of the re-enactors getting ready for the battle. We love an underdog and with our daughter off to uni in Lancaster, we decided it was only right to support the young Lancastrian prince, even if we knew that history was not to be re-written…
Walking around the Lancastrian camp, we felt propelled back in time as people from Italy, Spain, Germany and the Netherlands were busy putting on their heavy armours or sharing their lunch in colourful attires.
We had a chat with the re-enactor portraying the young prince who explained how te
In the 30 degrees heat and wearing heavy armours and weapons, we were amazed managed the impressive feat of creating a large-scale battle that captivated the whole audience! From the procession of both armies and the failures of the ‘parler’ between Queen Margaret and King Edward IV to the firing of canons and artillery, we loved all the action.
We joined in with the soldiers cheering Margaret of Anjou and her retinue. Of course, the battle didn’t go too well for our young prince but we enjoyed stepping back into time.
We loved soaking up the sights and colours of Tewkesbury and its fabulous festival and will definitely be back…
