Weekend Re-Creations of Tudor Life

Kentwell has four Major Weekend Re-Creations of Tudor Life each year. These enable visitors to see a Re-Creation of Tudor Life in each month from April to September when Kentwell is open. Whilst Each Weekend Re-Creation is necessarily smaller than the Main Re-Creation, the flavour of the Main Re-Creation is retained and each weekend offers much of what can be seen in the Great Annual Re-Creation.  In addition each Weekend Re-Creation highlights matters relevant to that time of year.

Major Weekend Tudor Re-Creations as compared with the Great Annual Re-Creation

• Fewer 'Tudors' may take part and there may be a smaller range of activities than for the Great Annual. Some Weekend Re-Creations may concentrate upon certain aspects only of Tudor Life.

• There is no Time Tunnel.

• Of these, only the Michaelmas Weekend Re-Creation has week days designed specifically and exclusively for pre-booked School parties only.

On the other hand:

• The whole House and other areas parts of which are not Open during the Great Annual remain Open during Weekend Re-Creations.

Is a Major Weekend Tudor Re-Creation still based upon a specific Tudor year ?

Yes. For more about the years portrayed during this year's Weekend Re-Creations go to Tudor Year being Re-Created.

Major Weekend Tudor Re-Creation Themes

Weekend Re-Creations each have their own theme:-

Easter - Good Friday to Easter Monday re-creates how Tudors celebrated Eastertide. (There is also a very un-Tudor Great Easter Egg Hunt Quiz then). The main active areas are the Great Kitchen (cooking Easter offerings), the Bakehouse (with hot cross buns, waffles and wafers and Players with Pace egging and other Tudor Easter activities. 

Mayday - Saturday to Bank Holiday Monday re-creates Tudor May Day Celebrations - one of the most joyous happenings in the Tudor calendar. Processions, a May Tree, a May Queen, Jack O'Green and Maid Marian plus much dancing, music and plays.

Summer - usually our biggest Weekend Re-Creation over the August Bank Holiday Weekend (from Friday to Monday). Much like the Great Annual though smaller with most of the Activities of the Great Annual.

Michaelmas - Once the harvest was in by Michaelmas the Tudor farming year was over. The September Michaelmas Re-Creation tries to re-create the spirit of this happy time of year. It is the Great Annual Re-Creation in miniature. 

Tudor Presence at Other Weekends

These involve a few Tudors concentrating upon just one or two aspects of everyday Tudor Life over a weekend which has a wider not necessarily Tudor theme. 

Wool & Gardens Weekend  This is a weekend where we add a Tudor angle to the shearing of the sheep and show the uses to which wool may be put and how it is worked. We usually have spinners, carders, weavers & felters active; as well as, usually, one or two other Tudor folk.

 Apple Day Weekend - Kentwell has over 60 varieties of apple in its Walled Garden (as well as other varieties elsewhere) and a similar number of varieties of pear.  This weekend offers visitors the opportunity to see many of the apples, discuss apple issues with the gardeners, taste some apples and maybe watch us press apples for cider or juice.