Athelstan 1100 Events

A children friendly picnic gathering in Malmesbury's beautiful Cloister Gardens. 

Bring a picnic. Come dressed as an Anglo-Saxon. Brave the Stocks and Pillory by 1st King Athelstan Scouts. Storytelling by Amanda from Barn Owl Books. Join in with Malmesbury Morris. Cup Cake Stall. Take part in the Grand Finale Parade. Win Awards

Plus brilliant activities for 5 to 11 year olds, including Anglo-Saxon Shield, brooch and crown making, The Great Athelstan Bake-Off and Quoits and Skittles.

The Great Athelstan Bake Off? We all know King Alfred burned the cakes! His grandson - King Athelstan - is asking – can you bake better?

You and yours can get ready for Athelstan’s Big Picnic in Cloister Gardens from 12 noon to 4:00pm on Sunday 14^th July by taking part in the Great Athelstan Bake Off.

Pick up a free Anglo-Saxon style bread recipe pack, including the flours you need, at the Wild Food Company at 22 High Street or the Town or the Tourist Information Centre at Malmesbury Town Hall and get making your Anglo-Saxon style bread. Then bring your entries for expert judging at Athelstan’s Big Picnic. There will be judging by age group, starting at 2:00pm: Age 5 to 8, 9 to 14 and over 14. The winners will be announced at 3:30pm.

Thank you to Shipton Mill for donating the flours in the recipe pack and the Wild Food Company and Malmesbury Town Council helping out.

Delight and Dread: Unladylike Tales from the Age of Aethelflaed. You’ve heard of Alfred and Athelstan. But what about the women whose lives wove together the bright and dark threads of an emerging England? In age of transformation, they were peace-weavers and war-leaders, city-builders and king-makers. This fiercely poetic story-set sheds new light on the daughters and sisters, saints and queens, whose courage and vision shaped a nation. This is Intelligent spoken-word from contemporary storyteller Stephe Harrop, who creates and shares spoken-word shows with audiences across the UK, and beyond. She especially loves telling English and Scottish fairytales, the fiery folklore of the Anglo-Scottish Borders, and salvaged stories from the two kingdoms’ historic and mythic pasts. She’s also fascinated by the challenge of using storytelling to help promote a positive sense of belonging, and a spirit of creative citizenship, across a range of communities and contexts. Suitable for ages 14+ .

Sam looks forward to dispelling the myths of this time period and sharing the key plants and practises used to support health and wellbeing and treat medical conditions of the day. Did the cures work and what is the science behind them? She will discuss the plants used in Athelstan’s time some of which she still uses in her herbal medicine practice today. Sam has been a qualified medical herbalist and lecturer for over 25 years and considers the profession to be a lifelong journey with people and plants. Alongside working with her patients she has formulated her own tea range and other herbal products using organic herbs from around the world and her own garden. Sam also runs workshops covering a wide range of wellbeing subjects and skills.

Five super short films inspired by Athelstan 1100. We've been working with Miranda Shirnia and the Malmebury Natural History Group and students from Boom Satsuma film school. Total running time 40 minutes.

Enjoy:

Finding Athelstan: A delightful drama filmed in Malmesbury's historic Courthouse. William of Mlamesbury, librarian at Malmesbury Abbey and the leading historian of his age, tells Athelstan's story to a young Abbey servant.

A Walk in Malmesbury in the Year 924: A delightful film writtena and narrated by Miranda Shirnia describing the flora and fauna in and around Malmesbury in the year 924 and how it compares to what we see today. Why 924? It is 1100 years ago since Athelstan, who had special relationship and who chose to be buried in Malmesbury, became king.

The Life and History of Athelstan: Malmesbury based author and historian Tony McAleavy introduces Athelstan in this super illustrated film.

Athelstan and Malmesbury - the Lasting Bond: Local historian Anne Goodyer illustrates the continuing presence of Athelstan in Malmesbury.

The Making of 'Athelstan - A United Kingdom': Meet the team behind the superb new production packing out the Abbey.

Join a local history expert for a Guided Walk Around Anglo-Saxon Malmesbury. Discover why Athelstan had a special relationship with our town. Find out why Malmesbury became the most important Anglo-Saxon town in Wiltshire. Solve riddles, see where Eilmer, our flying monk, landed and walk in Anglo-Saxon footsteps. Our Guided Walk will take about 90 minutes and cover just over a mile. Book here and at Malmesbury Town and Tourist Information Centre. Walk ups welcome if spaces available. 

NEW DATE ADDED

Why is Malmesbury making such a fuss about Athelstan? What is his ‘special relationship’ with this small town in North Wiltshire? Tony will explain all! Tony is an educator and writer by profession and a researcher who brings history to life. He has written many school textbooks on different history topics for Cambridge University Press, Harper-Collins and Hodder Education, and his most recent books, ‘The Last Witch Craze’ and ‘The History of Malmesbury Abbey’ have added hugely to the understanding of Malmesbury’s rich and rewarding past. 

How was warfare conducted in England during the age of King Athelstan? Where were battles fought? How were campaigns managed? Could rulers even win without coming to battle? What was a shield wall? What about sieges, logistics, naval actions, strategies, tactics, stratagems and ruses? These are just a few of the questions Paul will be trying to answer, supported by replicas and illustrations and examples. Expect stories of triumph, tragedy and rebellion. Paul is an author, lecturer and expert on Anglo-Saxon and Medieval warfare and history and has been journeying into the wars, betrayals and personal battles which make the past so gripping and fascinating for over 20 years. His latest book is ‘The Fortress Kingdom - The Wars of Æthelflæd & Edward the Elder’, who just happen to be Athestan’s Aunt and his Dad!

On Saturday 20th and Sunday 21st July around 200 Anglo-Saxon re-enactors from Regia Anglorum will be in Malmesbury. They are setting up an Anglo-Saxon village in Malmesbury's beautiful St Aldhelm's Mead. Come and visit between 10:00am and 4:30pm for hands on experiences, demonstrations of Anglo-Saxon life and, at around 3:00pm each day, witness a battle re-enactment! Anglo-Saxon Malmesbury is free to attend. 

Location and Access: St Aldhelm's Mead is located at the south of Malmesbury off the B4042. ///desktop.traps.reckoned. THERE IS NO ON SITE PARKING. Car Parking is in signposted Car Parks (1. Cross Hayes Short Stay, Two Hours Max. 2. Station Yard Long Stay. Two Hours Free 3. Waitrose Supermarket, 3.5 hours Max, store purchase required. 4. Event Parking. Weaver's Farm. Off the B4040. SN16 9JL. ///scrap.passes.thickens. (Open Saturday and Sunday 9:30am to 5:00pm). Routes to St Aldhelm's Mead will be signed.