Tatton's Medieval Fayre

The Old Hall comes to life with the sights and sounds of the 15th century....

It’s that time of year again when the Old Hall at Tatton turns into a Medieval Fayre, Encampment and Battleground...unfortunately a very muddy one particularly on saturday, but that didn’t dampen the spirits of anyone. Luckily most tents went up on friday before the torrential rain came and the grounds of the Old Hall were transformed into a riot of colour, flags and re-enactors.

It was surprisingly busy on saturday and just when the muster for the battle started the heavens opened but all the soldiers, knights and archers stood their ground and went out to the battlefield...and came back!

Sunday started with much better weather and the sun made everyone feel brighter too...A lot more visitors arrived and soon the grounds were packed with people wanting to see the tournament, falconry, demonstrations of guns, and the final battle outside on the flat ground. As always there was plenty to buy and have a go at, children’s activities in our Education tent, and tasty thing to eat and drink. The Old Hall itself was open and with guides to tell you all about its history and give you a feel of what it was like long ago.

Then came the muster for the battle again, it looked a bit threatening with some black clouds in the distance and as the intrepid archers went out into the field, including the elite few of the Tatton Archers, the weather seemed to clear. An exciting battle started, arrows flew over from both sides, the guns fired and smoke billowed across the field, a few injuries tended by the Red Cross (not so lucky in the original battles). There were lots of shouts and cheers of encouragement from the crowd and then it was all over and the victorious winners marched back to camp.

A great weekend enjoyed by all despite the British summer weather.

Margaret Clark

History Interpreter Guide