This weekend the Regiment will be heading out for the first big event of the year. We’ll be heading to the beautiful Kenilworth Castle in Warwickshire for a two day event as Kenilworth is besieged! We’ll be portraying 17th Century life within the walls of the castle and throughout the day skirmishes will break out as the castles walls are attacked.
The partially ruined castle will provide a stunning backdrop to the event and the Elizabethan Gardens, 17th Century Hedge Maze and castle towers will provide plenty of other things to see and do during the day.
Kenilworth Castle was originally built in the 1120s and has had a rich history throughout the centuries. It was most famously the home of Sir Robert Dudley during the reign of Elizabeth I and he made extensive works to the castle to try and convince Elizabeth to marry him. Unfortunately for Dudley, he wasn’t ever successful but his changes now provide some of the most spectacular things to see at Kenilworth, most notably the Elizabethan Gardens.
During the first half of the 17th Century, the castle remained a popular place for the Royal Family to visit when progressing around the country but when Civil War broke out in the 1640s, Kenilworth had a dramatic history.
t started out in the hands of the Royalist army and in 1642 Kenilworth was used by Charles I during his advance to Edgehill before the battle that took place that October. It provided a stronghold near to the Parliamentary held town of Warwick and was a strategic location for the King.
Shortly after the battle the Royalist garrison withdrew due to the advances of the Parliamentarian Lord Brooke and was then garrisoned by Parliamentarian forces. By 1645, Royalists attemps to removed the Parliamentarian troops from Warwickshire were entirely unsuccessful and the castle remained in the hands of Parliament.
In 1649, due to security conerns Parliament ordered for the castle to be slighted to prevent future use as a stronghold and one wall of the Great Tower along with various parts of the bailey and battlements were destroyed.
Due to its interesting and varied Civil War history, Kenilworth makes the perfect location for us to put on an event. We will be joined by our friends in Lisles and the Kings Guard regiments for the weekend and hope that you’ll be able to come along and see what we’re getting up to!
As well as watching the battles you’ll be able to visit the camps of the Royalist and Parliamentarian armies and see what life was like for the soldiers, women and children including seeing the weapons they would use, the food they’d eat and the games and crafts they would do to pass the time.
For more information on ticket prices, entry times and general visitor information, head to the English Heritage website.