New invasionat the Abbey

Prepare for Conquest took families behind the lines into the camp of William, Duke of Normandy, as he and his troops prepared to face King Harold.

A new play called ‘We Three Kings’, written exclusively for English Heritage by Simon Kirk and performed by Time Will Tell theatre, formed the centre-piece of the two-day event.

The Abbey grounds were transformed into a tented encampment, there was a chance to meet the noble war horses and children were able to have a go at raising the sail on a Norman Longboat whilst learning how William navigated the channel.

There were plenty of other activities for visitors to try their hand at too, including cooking, archery, kids drills and preparing weapons.

Because of heavy rainfall on Sunday, many of the activities were moved undercover and visitor numbers took a hit.

But Jo Stewart, property manager at Battle Abbey, said: “We had less visitors than we hoped, but it was a really good event.

“From English Heritage’s point of view, it was a very successful event.”