THE CHALKE VALLEY HISTORY FESTIVAL IS THE LARGEST FESTIVAL DEDICATED ENTIRELY TO HISTORY
“It has to be seen to be believed”
“The best history festival in the country. It’s fantastic.”
Designed to inspire, excite and inform.
Set in the heart of the beautiful Wessex countryside,
there is so much amazing entertainment for all the family.
Living History
With our wide range of living history, there really is something for everyone in the family to see and do. On visiting the festival, you will come face-to-face with Celts and Romans, as well as knights of Middle Ages, Napoleonic riflemen and Tommies from the two world wars. The best living historians are not only among the most informed people on any given period, they also know how to bring the past back to life in an exciting and visually compelling way. Our living historians encourage plenty of interaction, and as well as putting on numerous displays and demonstrations, there are plenty of activities for you to get in involved with too. Expect guns, armour, ancient skills, tanks, cookery from the past, dancing, music and a unique glimpse into the past…
Talks + Debates
Some very familiar faces can be seen mingling with crowds of eager history enthusiasts, as they join us to give talks, or take part in discussions. This year, for example, you might see Monty Don and Ken Clarke cross your path, or Antony Beevor and Dan Snow.
Throughout the week, we host a large and wide-ranging number of talks, from the time of the ancients to more contemporary subjects. There are hard-hitting discussions on contemporary issues placing them in their historical context, as well as a comedy panel show and a number of events specifically for children. We have household names and eminent historians, and brilliant performers who understand that the best way to impart their own love of history is to both inform and entertain. There will also be a chance to meet World War II veterans as well as Jacques Altmann, a French holocaust survivor.
I think the mixture of historically themed events, interactivities and lectures worked very well
LYTCHETT MINSTER SCHOOL, Poole.
The support and enthusiasm of the organisers was impossible to resist and it was obvious from the start that the students were in for a great day out.
CAPITAL CITY ACADEMY, Willesden, London
The organisers of this year’s Chalke Valley History Festival had indeed discovered the recipe for the perfect schools’ history event.
WOODROFFE SCHOOL, Dorset
Festival for schools
The Chalke Valley History Festival also plays host to an important History Festival for schools. Thousands of pupils from primary school to sixth formers visit the festival in the first half of the week on special days dedicated to different year groups. Blending talks by eminent historians with interactive living history and demonstrations, this is a crucial part of what we do at the festival.
Three days of history featuring a wide range of curriculum-based subjects delivered by leading historians. From 1066, through the Tudors and the First World War, and the Cold War, the programme offers a series of lectures, seminars, living history and inter-active demonstrations to bring history alive and inspire Year 6 -8, and Year 10 and 12 students.
In fact, we believe so strongly that everyone should enjoy and benefit from understanding history, that we’ve set up a charitable educational trust. All profits from the festival are ploughed back into the Chalke Valley History Trust.
BBC’s report on CVHF