Preview: NEW - Norwich Castle and Norwich Cathedral Team Up to Host a Spectacular Free Medieval Festival This Half-Term

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NEW Medieval Festival in Norwich, October 2024 half term

MED LRG

09 Oct 2024

NEW - Norwich Castle and Norwich Cathedral Team Up to Host a Spectacular Free Medieval Festival This Half-Term

Tags: October half term, Norwich, city break, Free, Historic, history and culture, Families

This half term step into the sights and sounds of the medieval world with a spectacular family-friendly Medieval Festival brought to the city by Norwich Castle and Norwich Cathedral – and all for free!

On Saturday 2 November 10am-3pm, two authentic medieval camps outside the Castle and Cathedral will offer visitors of all ages the chance to experience hands-on crafts, costumed characters, combat skills, weaponry displays and more. A special trail featuring the Castle mice and their friends, Snap the Dragon and Flint the Fox, will help families navigate the route between the two venues.

Norwich Castle have organised this exciting festival in partnership with Norwich Cathedral as part of the Royal Palace Reborn Activity Plan, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, made possible by players of the National Lottery.

At Norwich Castle Green, a 14th Century living-history camp created by the Norwich and Norfolk Medieval Association (NANMA) will offer visitors an exciting and immersive experience. Visitors will be able to practice skills used in making staves for longbows, arrow fletching and beeswax candle-making. There will be opportunities to practice soft-play sword combat, try on armour, and explore medieval beauty routines. Families will enjoy striking a coin to take home with them as well as finding out more about the medieval world including demonstrations of how illuminated manuscripts were made and net making.

The atmosphere will be enhanced by the sound of musical instruments played by medieval music specialists, Pearl in the Egg. And if you've been up to something naughty, a humorous pardoner character will be on hand selling mock paper pardons!

At Norwich Cathedral Upper Green, Norfolk-based Viking, Saxon and Norman re-enactment group Ordgar will recreate their award-winning 10-11th Century Saxon and Norman camp. Visitors can make clay pinch pots, create tablet braids, and take-home willow sprang weavings. There will be opportunities to craft leather coin pouches and key fobs with rune designs, try wood turning, and play traditional games like Nine Men's Morris and Hnefatafl. Visitors can also grind flour with a quern stone, try on helmets and shields for photos, and watch demonstrations of sharp weapons in action. And that's not all - sling making, bead decorating, and creating illuminated manuscripts using quills and paints will all be on offer.

Snap the Dragon's Medieval Mouse Trail will be available for families to pick-up from both locations to navigate between the two sites. The Castle mice, Snap and Flint the Fox characters can be found hiding at local businesses along the route – complete the trail to collect a sticker at the end of the journey.

Cllr Margaret Dewsbury, Cabinet Member for Communities, Norfolk County Council, said: “We are pleased to announce this new partnership between Norwich Castle and Norwich Cathedral, and extend our gratitude to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for their support, which has made it possible for us to offer this exciting event free of charge."

The Dean of Norwich, the Very Revd Dr Andrew Braddock, said: “Norwich Cathedral is delighted to be taking part in the Medieval Festival with Norwich Castle. It is a wonderful way to celebrate our shared Norman heritage and we hope lots of people of all ages will join us for this special event.”

In the lead-up to the Medieval Festival, medieval-themed activities will run throughout half term at both Norwich Castle and Norwich Cathedral.

From Saturday 26 October to Saturday 2 November, visitors to Norwich Castle can unleash their creativity through a variety of crafts and help prepare a feast fit for a king! Design and decorate your very own castle Keep or dress up in costumes and dragon capes for a royal experience. Have a go at monoprinting to create your own illuminated manuscript or visit Knight Club to learn and practice basic medieval combat skills. Explore the evolution of medieval arms and armour through an interactive workshop that delves into their purpose, design, and materials. All activities are included with museum admission. Check the website for details of when activities are running. www.norwichcastle.norfolk.gov.uk.

At Norwich Cathedral from Monday 28 October to Friday 1 November, there will be the chance to join family-friendly activities based on the history of the Cathedral, its construction and Norman history, as well as the monastic foundation of the Cathedral and its beautiful decoration. Activities will include The Scriptorium – writing, illuminating and creating manuscripts, The Masons – arch building, stonework and exploring the building of the Cathedral and The Herb Garden and Library – medicine, books and monks at work. Each day children will contribute to the construction of a different part of the Cathedral, a 'palace for God'. Children can take part in decorating wall paintings, creating roof bosses and designing mosaics for the floor as well as constructing pillars, windows and much more! Drop in and pay on the day, £3.50 per child. For details check the website: cathedral.org.uk/

ENDS

For further details please contact Mel Cook, PR & Marketing Manager, VisitNorwich
melanie.cook@norwichbid.co.uk

About Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery
One of the city's most famous landmarks, Norwich Castle's mighty stone keep was built by the Normans as a royal palace over 900 years ago and spent at least 500 years as the county prison. Today the Castle site – which sits atop the largest man-made motte in England – incorporates both the medieval keep (currently undergoing a major redevelopment) and a museum and art gallery housed in the converted buildings of the Victorian-era prison. The museum is home to some of the most outstanding collections of fine and decorative arts, archaeology and natural history, not only in the region, but the country. The Castle's special exhibition galleries host an ambitious programme of changing exhibitions.

Norwich Castle Museum & Art Gallery is part of Norfolk Museums Service (NMS), a multi-award-winning service comprising ten museums and a study centre across the county. NMS is a partnership between Norfolk County Council and Norfolk's district councils, funded through council tax, earned income and grants. NMS is regarded as one of the leading museum services in the UK: since April 2018 it has been an Arts Council England National Portfolio Organisation (NPO) tasked with providing leadership to the sector.

NMS has also received major investment across a number of projects and sites from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, including a major grant for the Norwich Castle: Royal Palace Reborn project to transform Norwich Castle's Norman Keep, opening summer 2024. www.museums.norfolk.gov.uk.
About Norwich Cathedral

Norwich Cathedral is a Christian presence in the heart of Norfolk and the Diocese of Norwich and all are welcome to join in the Cathedral's daily services.

The Cathedral dates back to 1096, when it was founded by Herbert de Losinga, the first Bishop of Norwich, and for more than 900 years Norwich Cathedral has played a key role in the life of the city and county as a place of worship, a historic treasure and an iconic landmark.

From its beginnings as an 11th century Benedictine monastery to its role as a 21st century Cathedral today, there is so much to explore and today the Cathedral welcomes more than 600,000 visitors annually.

Among the Cathedral's highlights is its treasure trove of incredible medieval roof bosses which are the largest collection of their kind in the world. The Cathedral also has the largest monastic cloister in the country and the second tallest spire.

In addition to its regular daily services, the Cathedral holds special services throughout the year to mark significant occasions in the life of the local community, and it also hosts many different events, ranging from concerts to theatre to family events and more.

For more about visiting Norwich Cathedral and attending its services and events, visit cathedral.org.uk
About Norwich and Norfolk Medieval Association (NANMA)
The Norwich & Norfolk Medieval Association (NANMA) was founded in 1975 a handful of individuals who were interested in various aspects of Medieval English history and wanted to do more than simply read about it. From their craft offerings to clothing, NANMA pay attention to the detail, sourcing period fabric and tools. They pride their selves on their portrayal of ordinary lives in the14th century and have helped hundreds of members experience a taste of medieval life.
About Ordgar
Ordgar, which means spearpoint in Old English, are a Norfolk-based Viking, Saxon and Norman re-enactment group, and are the Norfolk group of the The Vikings! Society, the oldest and largest early medieval re-enactment Society in the UK. Formed in 2011, Ordgar have grown steadily, with members from all over East Anglia. Members have dedicated their time and research to the 8th – 11th century, portraying the warfare, the dress, crafts and everyday life of the Anglo-Danish culture of that period. Ordgar are very proud to be known for their high standards of presentation, historical accuracy and attention to detail and have an award-winning living history display.
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
As the largest dedicated funder of the UK's heritage, The National Lottery Heritage Fund's vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future as set out in the strategic plan, Heritage 2033.

Over the next ten years, the Heritage Fund aims to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to bring about benefits for people, places and the natural environment.

The Heritage Fund helps protect, transform and share the things from the past that people care about, from popular museums and historic places, our natural environment and fragile species, to the languages and cultural traditions that celebrate who we are.

The Heritage Fund is passionate about heritage and committed to driving innovation and collaboration to make a positive difference to people's lives today, while leaving a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy.

Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund www.heritagefund.org.uk