Castle Siege 2015 at Arundel Castle
The May Bank Holiday weekend (23-25 May) saw Arundel Castle playing host to a dramatic medieval siege. I had never been to a historical re-enactment earlier and considering that I love castles and forts, this event seemed to be the perfect opportunity to enjoy both. So, we headed out to Arundel on Sunday to witness the annual event.
Arundel Castle in West Sussex was founded in 1067 by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel. The castle is England’s largest complete and inhabited castles and is currently the family home of the 18th Duke of Norfolk. Prior to attending the castle siege event we had a tour of the castle taking in the well preserved rooms, climbing up the 'Keep' and spending some time in the beautiful walled gardens of the castle. The castle is stunning and so are the gardens. I will be writing separately about the castle in my next post as I want to do full justice to its beauty. In this post I will only share my experience of the castle siege event.
The siege event portrayed the 15th century when Edward IV was the King of England. Although there was no real siege at the castle during Edward IV's time, the re-enactment gives us the opportunity to visualise and learn how life was in medieval times. The event depicted a battle between Edward IV and his troops vs. the French, who were trying to overtake the castle. The event focussed on artillery as a battlefield weapon and also on how artillery was extremely important in taking a castle. A large tented encampment was set up and it was teeming with sights and sounds from the medieval times. Even the smallest of details were taken care of and it felt like I was transported to the 15th century.
The weather was wonderful on Sunday and a good crowd had turned up to see the siege. To keep the visitors entertained, there were story-telling sessions, gunnery display and the battlefield skirmishes. The main siege depicted how a castle siege takes place and how the two warring sides would have fought in medieval times.
The actors taking part in the re-enactment were amazing. They looked every bit the part in their costumes and were a skilled, happy bunch who were ready to answer any questions one had about their role or the siege. The actors also deserve special applause because it is not easy to be encased in metal armour and re-enact battle scenes without getting exhausted. I enjoyed watching them immensely and so did the crowd as was quite clear from the cheers and applause the actors received.
The event was a wonderful opportunity to learn about the history of the castle in such an entertaining way. If you missed the event this time, worry not as the Castle Siege event is an annual occurrence. Or why not visit the 'Mustering for Agincourt' event that is scheduled for June. It includes falconry, archery and combat displays in addition to a tented encampment showcasing crafts and displays.
For more information on other events at Arundel Castle check out their website.
Arundel Castle in West Sussex was founded in 1067 by Roger de Montgomery, Earl of Arundel. The castle is England’s largest complete and inhabited castles and is currently the family home of the 18th Duke of Norfolk. Prior to attending the castle siege event we had a tour of the castle taking in the well preserved rooms, climbing up the 'Keep' and spending some time in the beautiful walled gardens of the castle. The castle is stunning and so are the gardens. I will be writing separately about the castle in my next post as I want to do full justice to its beauty. In this post I will only share my experience of the castle siege event.
The siege event portrayed the 15th century when Edward IV was the King of England. Although there was no real siege at the castle during Edward IV's time, the re-enactment gives us the opportunity to visualise and learn how life was in medieval times. The event depicted a battle between Edward IV and his troops vs. the French, who were trying to overtake the castle. The event focussed on artillery as a battlefield weapon and also on how artillery was extremely important in taking a castle. A large tented encampment was set up and it was teeming with sights and sounds from the medieval times. Even the smallest of details were taken care of and it felt like I was transported to the 15th century.
The weather was wonderful on Sunday and a good crowd had turned up to see the siege. To keep the visitors entertained, there were story-telling sessions, gunnery display and the battlefield skirmishes. The main siege depicted how a castle siege takes place and how the two warring sides would have fought in medieval times.
The actors taking part in the re-enactment were amazing. They looked every bit the part in their costumes and were a skilled, happy bunch who were ready to answer any questions one had about their role or the siege. The actors also deserve special applause because it is not easy to be encased in metal armour and re-enact battle scenes without getting exhausted. I enjoyed watching them immensely and so did the crowd as was quite clear from the cheers and applause the actors received.
The event was a wonderful opportunity to learn about the history of the castle in such an entertaining way. If you missed the event this time, worry not as the Castle Siege event is an annual occurrence. Or why not visit the 'Mustering for Agincourt' event that is scheduled for June. It includes falconry, archery and combat displays in addition to a tented encampment showcasing crafts and displays.
For more information on other events at Arundel Castle check out their website.
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