Raglan from the top of the tower |
On our return from Raglan Castle's Tudor Weekend I wanted to sit down straight away and blog about the
fabulous time we had but life got in the way
and I am a little behind. After a busy couple of weeks promoting my latest
novel Intractable Heart: the story of Katheryn Parr at last I have a spare few moments.
Me - shamefully cross laced |
Two weeks ago my old fella and I got into our Tudor best and
took a trip to Raglan Castle to sell books, meet the public and generally have a
lot of fun. The weather for once was perfect, dry, not too hot, not too cold
and the company was great.
A family group |
Neither of us had done this before and had no idea what to
expect. Sometimes when you enter a new social arena you can feel out of place,
not one of the crowd, a little gauche, but there was none of that at Raglan. As
soon as we arrived on site we were given a lovely welcome from custodian Jane
Mcilquham who quickly introduced us to the others. And what a lovely bunch they
are.
Jane Mcilquham - custodian |
There were various stalls and a medieval style bar, The
Stagger Inn, plenty of refreshments on offer.
Under the banner of the White Boar |
Nathen Amin signing copies of his book |
On our
other side was Nathen Amin, signing copies of his guide book Tudor
Wales which, as the title suggests, lists all the Tudor attractions in
Wales. Also nearby was photographer, Louise
Burrows with a selection of her lovely photographs and cards, and Marion Davies
who is better known as Mistress Grott was selling cures and curiosities. I
bought a stick weaving kit and am now embarked on yet another handicraft.
A fair maiden |
Raglan Castle is truly splendid; a proud building even now
after years of wars and neglect, and the splendour was enhanced by the presence
of two re-enactment groups, The
Armourial Knights and the Beaufort Companye
who staged some stunning events.
Courtly love comes to Raglan |
The costumes and attention to detail of both
communities is unsurpassed, their camps acting as a portal to another time and place. I
saw people of all ages, from small children to elderly women, and all were wearing
authentic costume, embellishing the whole event and turning the day into an ‘experience.’
King Richard III waiting for the battle |
A family group |
There was plenty of scope. I saw a mock execution, a re-enactment
of the Battle of Bosworth, listened to a talk by historian Emma Knight on Anne Boleyn. There was falconry, spinning displays, a Tudor trail for the kids to educate them subliminally as they move around the castle, helping them learn the fun way.
Henry VIII figuring out how to put on his own hat |
I met several
of my heroes and a good few foes; Richard III, Henry VII, Henry VIII, The
Stanleys … for me it was seventh heaven.
Richard - still waiting |
I am a retiring sort of person and I went to Raglan with
some reservation but I will not hesitate to go again. It was brilliant to meet my readers face to face and hear their enthusiastic feedback for my work. Next time, if you can't find me signing my novels, The Kiss of the Concubine, Intractable Heart, and The Winchester Goose, I will be somewhere in the crowd feasting on Welsh cakes and soaking up the atmosphere.
Hope to see you there.
A gathering |
Judith Arnopp is the author of six historical novels.
Click here to read more about her work.
It was a pleasure to meet you Judith and we sincerely hope to see you and your husband at our events next year x
ReplyDeleteYou can count on it Jane, we had a great time!
ReplyDelete