Splashes & Explosions! Bringing The Battle for Bidford Bridge to life!

It was a wet weekend in Bidford-on-Avon – but not because of the weather!

We’re now all back home after an absolutely brilliant reenactment event in the heart of Warwickshire – from trying to blow up a bridge to revealing life during the English Civil War, it was a wonderfully fun couple of days at a spectacular location. Thank you to the hundreds of local people who came to see us bring history alive on the Big Meadow – your support and encouragement were amazing!

The weather deities were kind to us as it (mostly) stayed dry the whole weekend … but not for our poor engineers, who got a right ol’ soaking in the river as they attempted to blow up Bidford Bridge. Accompanied by an armed guard, a team of Royalist demolition “experts” marched down to the 15th Century bridge and placed barrels of gunpowder under its arches to try and destroy this vital crossing over the Avon – all while under fire from a band of Parliamentarian skirmishers on the opposite bank. One engineer paddled up in a coracle – an ancient type of fishing boat – to scout for weaknesses in the bridge, only to be shot and fall into the water.

It came time for the ‘big bang’ – but the bridge remained standing! Treachery was suspected and the guilty man shot in the water, only for the engineers sent to retrieve his body to get shot by the Parliamentarians and start drifting down the river!

Then it was back to our encampment on the Big Meadow, with displays of traditional trades and period music, and demonstrations of pike and musket, before our battle saw the ramshackle militia left behind by King Charles to guard the bridge finding itself attacked by the forces of Parliamentarian commander, Sir William Waller. Battle ensured and disaster loomed for the Royalists … before the women of the camp drove the attackers off!

We had so much fun bringing this period of history alive for the community; although there was no battle at Bidford, it was on the front lines during the English Civil War and the bridge was actually demolished by King Charles’ forces as he marched his army to Worcester from Oxford.

We want to thank the people of Bidford once again for their backing of this event – which also received some generous support from Bidford Parish Council – and for all the fantastic feedback we’ve received.

Despite our best efforts, Bidford Bridge remains standing – so we’ll just have to return in the future and try again!

So if this account and the photos and videos have whetted your appetite and you fancy giving it a go it couldn’t be easier – for as little as £10 you could have a taster weekend and we’ll provide all the reenactment kit you need! Visit our website, drop us a line, and you could be marching onto a battlefield with us!

Watch some great drone footage of us arriving to blow up Bidford Bridge: