Castle hosts knight’s tale

Members of Croix du Nord, the Lancashire group within Regia Anglorum, will occupy the Castle from 10am to 5pm on Saturday and Sunday.

They’ll present  demonstrations of cooking, spinning, braid-making, weaving, corn grinding and woodworking as well as displaying samples of period foods, medicinal herbs and an armoury of weapons.

Their encampment will  also provide an arena for such activities as warrior  training, storytelling and an educational re-enactment of a slave auction.

Croix du Nord is the local group within Regia Anglorum, which is a living history society portraying the early medieval period from Alfred the Great to Richard I , around 850-1150AD.

Group leader Enid Noblett said: “The members of Croix du Nord feel both excited and privileged to be invited to  offer our re-enactment  presentations during this first year of the courtyard of Lancaster Castle being opened to the public.

“The date that we will be portraying over the weekend is 1093, as we believe that  Roger de Poitou was ‘given’ Lancaster by William Rufus and around this date built the first medieval castle on the site.

“We hope that our visit to the castle will be enjoyed by many and that we will be asked to present a further event, maybe with a  different time line, in the future.”

During the weekend there will be activities and items of interest for every age group, including archery (in the rear courtyard behind the cafe) chain-mail workshops,  medieval cooking classes and lots more.

The NICE @The Castle cafe will, as well as providing its usual delicious snacks and meals, also be offering a special Medieval Menu with special dishes inspired by the era.

There’s also a shop stocked with Lancaster Castle and other heritage inspired gifts.

All activities except the archery (£3.50) will be free, though there will be boxes for donations to support the staging of future events and the general upkeep of the castle.

The castle’s fascinating guided tours, operated by Lancashire County Council’s Museums Service, will also be running throughout the weekend from 10.30am to 4pm – ring 01524 64998.