Ready for battle (From Basingstoke Gazette)
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Ready for battle
5:00pm Friday 27th August 2010 in
A MOMENTOUS battle with musket and pike will take place near the newly re-opened Basing House this weekend.
About 1,000 Roundheads and Cavaliers will be locking weapons in a large-scale re-enactment of an important Civil War siege.
They will battle on Basingstoke Common, off Park Lane, Old Basing, to mark the official re-opening of Basing House after a £2.3 million refurbishment.
Yesterday, 50 people were building a “castle” backdrop and a Basing House taster has been posted online, at youtube.com.
Between 10am and 5pm on Saturday, the Sealed Knot Society will go back to 1643 as Parliamentar-ians lay siege to what was then a large palace.
Visitors can meet William Paulet, Marquis of Winchester, and his Royalist household as they prepare to face an advancing Roundhead army. There will be opportunities to handle weapons and speak with soldiers.
On Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday, from 10am, the drama will develop before battle is joined from 2pm until 3.30pm as cannon boom and cavalry charge.
The renovation of facilities at the Basing House complex includes a new visitor centre, gift shop and a new museum exhibition and sound-and-light show in the battle-scarred Tudor Great Barn.
Alan Turton, curator at Basing House, said: “We first thought about applying for a grant in the mid-1990s so it’s been quite a rollercoaster ride and this is our first big event.
“Anyone who’s been here before will find it very much changed, anyone new will find it amazing!”
The project has had been funded by Hampshire County Council, the Heritage Lottery Fund, MLA Renaissance Southeast, Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council and others.
AA signs will guide traffic along the A30 to free parking on Basingstoke Common. Tickets can be purchased at the Willis and Milestones Museums, and Basing House or by calling the West End Centre, on 01252 330040.
Proteus theatre company will also be telling the Basing House story through a puppet theatre show.
More information is at basinghouse.org.uk
Comments(2)
robertspet8
says...
3:38pm Thu 2 Sep 10
Dash1643 wrote:I'm afraid they did not make a good show of it.
Lets hope they make a good show of it. By the way it is the Marquess of Winchester not "Marquis".
Firstly, the re-enactments of the battles were awful:
They were difficult to view because they were staged at the top of the common. If the bottom of the valley between the two fields had been used the sides would have provided a perfect viewing position for the spectators.
The action was wooden. I believe Health and Safety had something to do with this - I guess nowadays you cannot have hundreds of people charging around with dangerous weapons. I think if less people had been involved they could have produced a better choreographed, faster moving and therefore more exciting spectacle.
The commentary was dire and did not serve to illuminate the action. They should have used a 'professional' with a 'professionally' written script.
Secondly, the catering was almost non-existant. There was a large captive audience and virtually no facilities to supply tea or coffee.
Thirdly, the adult entrance fee of £10 did not represent good value. there was not enough going on to keep you entertained for more than a couple of hours. Goodness knows what those who bought a ticket for the weekend found to do after the first day.
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Dash1643 says...
5:59pm Fri 27 Aug 10
By the way it is the Marquess of Winchester not "Marquis".