Tonbridge Castle Medieval Fair

Chainmail, swords, longbows and arrows were at the ready at Tonbridge Castle yesterday.

I was in the midst of a Medieval Village that circled the lawn in the shade of the sandstone turrets of the Norman Castle. Here I came face to face with with the men and woman who were practising crafts from times gone-by and I was transported into 15th century life.

Medieval dishes were prepared over open fires, the smell of hog roast was in the air and the costumes worn by the villagers carried me into life 600 years ago.  There were brave and gorey stories of battles and plenty of advice on how to use a shield in battle or strike sword to armour.

The market included pottery, children's costumes, pewter goblets, tankards, wooden bowls, jewellery, rare precious stones, tapestries and hand made belts - far too many Medieval items to mention here.

I was tempted to look into the future and try the tarot card reading and Bosco the Jester was pulling in a crowd of happy children as was the static owl display. To add to this olde-worlde atmosphere, folksy entertainment  by Rough Musick provided feel-good foot-stomping folk music that had the crowd jigging and foot-tapping.

All this and free tours of the castle as part of English Heritage Weekend, and an art exhibition in the Council Chambers, make this an event not to missed especially for the little ones.  Admission is free.