A Long Overdue Update

I have been horrendous at posting recently. Partly because I haven't been to many events, due to me having a job where I have to work on a Saturday, and partly because I have become seriously lazy. It also looks like I will be going to even fewer events as in a week I am moving and starting a new job (one that will probably prevent me from attending most things even the Jane Austen Festival!! :( ). However a new place and a new job should be a good experience and will hopefully all work out.

Anyway enough of that. Here are a few photos from a couple of events that I was able to attend this summer:


Battle of Nations, Hunton Court:

Hunton Court

Marching to the house to be inspcted

Enjoying a small picnic whilst watching the battle

The battle

Promoting the 200 anniversary of Waterloo, at the Tower of London:

Camp - we were only there during the day so it was a very simple camp setup. 

A member of my group mixing modern and napoleonic army uniform!

Me with a Beefeater!! :)

I went to one more event, but will give it its own post. :)

Osterley Park Country Fair

Right at the beginning of September I attended my last reenactment event of the year. :(

No one in my group wanted to attend so I thought I wouldn't be able to go, but a friend's group kindly let me tag along. :)  We were the only Napoleonic group there so it was a small reenactment, but it was fun all the same. :) The annoying thing is that I seemed to have been absolutely rubbish at taking photos of the camp! It was partly because, as we were the only Napoleonic group we did have visitors wandering around most of the time so there wasn't much opportunity to whip out my camera, but also I just kept forgetting to take photos. I sincerely apologise as what is a reenactor's blog post without lots of photos, so you can imagine being at the event!!? :)

Our small camp. Rosie and Sarah working very hard sewing some of the soldiers' clothing.

Apart from us there were lots of animals - owls, horses, dogs, ferrets, goats, and a wallaby!

These were our neighbours. :) So adorable but there were about 20 of them and 2 kept escaping and trying to eat our tent ropes!!! 

There were also a few fairground rides, but I think the highlight of the weekend for the public was the jousting tournament. It was recreated by a group called 'The Knights of the Damned', and was pretty much a recreation of the jousting tournament seen in the film 'A Knights tale', down to the music and the participants names's (which were slightly changed).  

I have to admit that it was great fun to watch. :)

As well as the fair there was also Osterley House itself. A beautiful, mainly 18th century, historic house. 

I didn't take a photo of the exterior of the house as I have taken many on previous visits. So borrowed this one from the National Trust website.

Beautiful wall and ceiling decoration in the basement front entrance hall. 

The stewards office

The housekeepers Parlour

Sarah and I decided to take some silly photos in the kitchen, pretending that she was a maid working at the house. :) We got a few strange looks from the room steward! :)

Sarah washing up

The kitchen

Off to collect the eggs from the farm. :)

the larder

The dining room all dressed up to recreate what it would have looked like during a ball in the 18th century.

During the weekend the Covent Garden Minuet Company (a London based 18th century dance group) were doing dance demonstrations in the entrance hall.

We were also allowed to join in for a couple of dances, which was fun but I think I prefer Regency dancing. Georgian is much slower and more sedate - probably owing to the cumbersome clothing. 

They also talked about fans and fan language (getting some of the audience to join in with the demonstration)

I learnt that there was never any official fan language - that groups of friends each made up their own.

I loved this lady's gown.

The weekend started off with hideously wet weather, but by Saturday afternoon the weather had really improved, and Sunday was beautifully sunny. Overall it was a lovely relaxing weekend, and the perfect event to round-off this years reenactment season. :) Oh and I also got to try my hand at archery, which was so exciting as I have wanted to try archery for as long as I can remember!! :)

Chalke Valley History Festival

The Chalke Valley History Festival is a week long annual festival. The main part of the festival is the history lectures that are given by prominent historians and other public figure such as Dan Snow, Ian Hyslop, Boris Johnson and Amanda Vickery. However, during the weekend, as well as the lectures, there is also a living history encampment. This is where I fit in, well sort of. The Napoleonic reenactment group that I am a member of was planning on going, but a few days before they changed their mind. :( Most of the members had gone to Waterloo the weekend before and were still recovering!! It was looking like I wouldn't be able to go, which I was rather sad about as I had been really looking forward to this event. Thankfully the day before my sister sweetly offered to drive me down for the day on the Saturday. 

It was a multi-period event so medieval archers mixed with American WWII soldiers  :) Sadly as reenactors we weren't allowed to go to any of the lectures, but we had a great time wandering around.

WWII CAMP

American WWII food truck

Some fabulous cars.

40s army outdoor kitchen!

One tent in the WWII area was decked out as a  40s homefront kitchen, complete with 40s music playing. The detail was amazing! 

Children's games

My finger seems to have crept into this photo! :)

And this one!!

Ok so am official not the greatest photographer!

There was also a mock up of a war time police station. You can see part of it on the left side of this photo. For some reason I didn't take a photo of the rest, but you can see the fabulous car that was parked outside it.

My beautiful sister. It was her first re-enactment, and she even wanted to dress up! Amazing, as none of my family have ever showed the slightest interest in coming to an event, least of all dressing up. Anyway, none of my decent gowns fit her as she is about 3 sizes smaller then me. However, I did have one dress which I had made ages ago out of an old duvet cover, had only worn once and was always a bit small for me. It was too big for her but looked quite good with the help of a few safety pins and a sash. And she was able to wear my poke bonnet. It was the first bonnet I ever bought, but as my head is so big it does't fit me. It finally got its first proper outing!! :)

WW1 CAMP

A fabulous 1910s plane!

Lovely horses. :)

MEDIEVAL CAMP

This is where my knowledge of history gets a bit sketchy as I would call the camp in the next few photos Medieval, but there is a good chance that it wasn't. They looked medieval to me though! I apologise to anyone who portrays this era if it is not medieval!! 

Ok so have just found this photo, mixed up with 40s ones. Am pretty sure that the blue sign said Plantagenets, so am thinking Medieval camp is actually Plantagenet camp. :) 

NAPOLEONIC CAMP

Me beautiful sister :)

I bumped into a couple of people who I have met at the odd ball. They were sitting outside their friends tent which was amazing. Serious Napoleonic glamping - Double bed, a tent that you could stand up straight in wherever you stood inside it, chest of drawers, writing desk, white linen covered tables and blue and white porcelain tea set. :)

We took a couple of photos with them.

An amazing steam engine that was parked just inside the entrance to the festival. 

I seem to have forgotten to flip this photo. Sorry I can't be bother to re-upload it! :)

It was a boiling hot day, so after wandering around the camps, we sat down and had a cooling drink and a snack in one of the big food tents. 

Whilst eating some people started to do a display of 40s dancing.

At about 2pm there was an airshow of WWII planes

We had a lovely day, but I really wished my group had been there and that I could have stayed the whole weekend. Maybe next year. :)