What an amazing weekend – we had an absolute scorcher at Culcheth in Cheshire! With great weather, fantastic friends, and a stunning location, we enjoyed a brilliant weekend of bringing the past to life.

Photo by Emily Reilly

Things got off to a blinding start, with everyone mucking in to get our encampment set up in record time, under the guidance of our elder(flower) sergeant Brian. The site in Glazebury not only felt tailor-made for a reenactment, but is believed to have actually been the site of a skirmish in the third English Civil War!

We then spent a first wonderful night under the stars before the weekend began, loving every moment of singing around the campfire with our friends in the Royalist Baggage Trayne, Sir George Lisle’s Regiment, Lord Thomas Grey’s Regiment of Foote, & Lieutenant-Colonel John Lilburne’s Regiment of Foote.

After a (very worrying) wet start to the first day, the weather fates smiled on us to produce a blazing hot weekend as we brought the English Civil War to life – from displays of muskets and pike, the roaring of the Lilburne’s cannon, to the crafts and skills like pike-making, weaving, tailoring, woodcut-making, cooking, and so much more. There were cameos galore with a civil war balladeer, child cutpurses, gambling soldiers, and a itinerant preacher punching the local vicar and causing a riot between rival groups of soldiers – only for the women of the camp to intervene and clap the preachers in the pillory!

We welcomed three new members – Erin, Elliott and Adam – to the regiment, who all joined on a £10 temporary memberships that allowed them to get a taster of what it’s like to be a part of the regiment!

We entertained hundreds of people each day at the fantastic site opposite the fantastic community-owned pub, The Raven Inn, where we then spent the evening, both in the pub and at the amazing tap room of George Shaws Brewery above. We’ll not soon forget the joy of sitting on the grass outside, talking and drinking the evening away with friends old and new.

Sunday was even hotter, but that didn’t stop us or the public; though we were all quite relieved to have Matt’s Ices on hand for a spot of ‘inauthentic’ ice cream!

Our gratitude goes out not just to the members of our regiment and our many friends from the Sealed Knot who donned layers of wool in the blazing sun and gave it their all, but also our sponsors who helped run the weekend and the community who supported us in such numbers.

We had an incredible time and would love to be back in Culcheth in the future!