Celebrate Newcastle’s medieval heritage at the Brampton Museum

A free medieval-themed family event will take place at the newly extended Brampton Museum and Park this weekend as it joins forces with Appetite ahead of celebrations for the 850th anniversary of Newcastle-under-Lyme becoming a borough.

The event, Celebrate Castle, on Saturday, 28 May from 10.30am to 4pm, will be packed with performances, music, dancing and workshops to provide a taste of what it was like in the ancient borough during medieval times.

Historical re-enactors will show what life was like back then, covering everything from football and combat displays to court dramas. Music from the period will be performed and there will be lots of fun and jest to be had with the "nation’s tallest knights" and some acrobatic jesters. The full line-up and performance times can be found at www.appetite.org.uk .  

Next year will see the 850th anniversary of Newcastle-under-Lyme becoming a borough following its first royal charter of incorporation in 1173, after a population grew around the "new castle" that had been built by the Normans.

Appetite Director Gemma Thomas said: “We’ve been really excited to work in partnership with the team at the Brampton Museum to create this event. It’s a celebration of all things medieval, bringing history to life and giving people the opportunity to pick up some fun facts but most importantly just providing a chance to have a great time, a laugh and a giggle together with friends and family in the beautiful surroundings of Brampton Park and Museum. We’re hoping this taste of all things medieval gets the community really excited about celebrating the 850th anniversary next year. It builds upon our partnership of creating a project with Community Curator, Siobhan Grace whose display of objects from people from the area will be available to see.”

Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council Leader Simon Tagg added: “We’re thrilled to host our first big family event this half-term to mark the opening of all the public areas of the expanded and redeveloped museum. If you haven’t already explored our new galleries or tried the new café, this Saturday is the perfect time as we take you back in time more than 800 years. We’ll have everything from battle re-enactments and authentic living history displays to family fun with jesters, acrobats, storytellers and stilt-walkers, and it’s all thanks to local people supporting us through the National Lottery and our partnership with Appetite.”

The public galleries of Brampton Museum & Art Gallery are reopening in time for Saturday, 28 May. The project is now moving on to its next exciting phase to create a new research room, archive and volunteer area, perfect for local residents to research their family history or get hands-on with more than 100 years of historic photographs. Entry is free and the museum is open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am-5pm, and Sundays 1.30pm-5pm. 

For more information on Celebrate Castle, visit appetite.org.uk, newcastle-staffs.gov.uk/museum or contact us at askus@appetite.org.uk /01782 381373.