Family Fun Day: Pikemen & Musketeers

Go back in time to the 1600s! See the campsite of Civil War soldiers as they complete their musket shooting drills and do hand-to-hand combat demonstrations. Try on armour and have a go.

Visit our Civil War campsite and meet soldiers and civilians!

Activities

• Watch displays of shooting drills by the Musketeers
• See pike demonstrations from armoured Pikemen, the hand to hand combat soldiers during the Civil War
• Displays of crafts and skills from the Civil War
• Try on armour and see ‘Show and Tell’ displays on weapon and armour of the Civil Wars
• ‘Children’s Drill’ – be instructed by officers on how to be pikemen for King Charles!
• Quiz for children to fill out as they investigate the campsite and talk to the soldiers – including local Civil War history facts 
• ‘Journey of the Soldier from Queen Bess to Queen Anne’ – a talk illustrated by the uniforms and equipment of the soldiers themselves and describing the development of the British Army from Elizabethan Trayned Bands in 1603 to the British Redcoat a hundred years later. Involves costume changes!
• 17th century dining as the Camp Kitchen feeds the soldiers while providing finer fare for the officers and gentlemen

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Tickets

Adults £8, Children £6

With tickets to this event you can come and go as you please throughout the day. There is no requirement to arrive at the start and stay through to the end.

Please note that there will be no free admission to the museum site or gardens on this day, and access will be for event ticket holders only.

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