The Chalke Valley History Festival!

Our Stall at the Chalke Valley History Festival

18th c costume at Chalke Valley History fest

Us in the mud…

I’m sure our vehicle weighed heavier on the way home from the festival because of all the mud, but there you go. Gown, petticoats, apron, boots, all needed a thorough banging out before they were even shown the inside of a washing machine, and that’s not even mentioning the marquees.

However, all of that gloop aside, the Chalke Valley History Festival was fantastic!

We had a 1001 conversations about stays, costumes and 18th century lifestyle, met up with quite a few old faces and all in all, had a wonderful time.

And here are some of our photos!

1805 Gundeck

These images are all just captured from outside our marquee – there’s not often a lot of time to get away from one’s stall but it’s amazing what walks passed in a history festival!

The 1805 gundeck exhibition was amazing – watching the guys handle the canon, take orders, roll up ropes and such. They had the most amazing re-print of an early 19th c. advertisement for the navy and the hole tent was set up brilliantly.

Next to us was the Romans and Vikings and they constantly had a crowd round them, asking questions about their cooking, their weapons and their clothes. Opposite us were the Coldstreamers camp (atleast, I’m saying that from memory – I may have got their name just slightly wrong) but they had a wonderful sign up giving some really good info about the history of their regiment.

There as a Viking boat at the top of the field, looking like Noah in the middle of a field, there was the mud-drenched trenches, fighter planes overhead and all sorts of battles going on in the field to the far right of us.

What else can we say: how about, if you didn’t go this year make it a must for the next!