Viking Mead Hall - 12th night -- Part 1

This past weekend my family had an amazing experience of having a Viking feast in a reconstructed Mead Hall. Living History has always been my husband's passion and I have always supported it and pretty much stayed in the back ground taking photographs. This time however, I got to experience the Viking ambiance first hand and I am wholly committed to this fantastic living history experience.

Wychurst Anglo-Saxon Mead hall began in 1999 and has steadily grow in the past 12 years. This amazing place has been the brain child of the group Regia Anglorum. See the links for the complete history. This group of re-enactors have volunteered their time to reconstruct a true Anglo-Saxon Hall. Although the hall is designed to replicate a manorial estate from the late Saxon period (around the Year 1000), it is similar to halls that would have been found throughout Anglo-Saxon England and the Viking/Scandinavian world at that time. My own husband has volunteered for a weekend to hammer in authentic nails into the floor boards. The whole family is hoping to go back and volunteer to help build in the next phrase before returning to the states.

This weekend, however was the groups yearly gathering for the 12th night feast and attending it was one of the top 10 best things we have ever experience since living in the UK.

While my husband had been to the hall before this was the first time my children and I were able to see the Hall. I wanted to go during day light hours to take some pictures before the evening event.

The Saxon Mead hall

This is the first building there are plans to build many more as time and money allows.












The intricate wood craving around the door












Paintings surround the inside of the hall. Currently the group is working on embroidery wall hangings to add to the atmosphere.













This group has a reputation for being very authentic in replicating the early medieval period.








The Head table for the group Leader and his officers.












Some ceiling wood work














View of the hall from one end capturing the huge fire pit, and baking oven.
















View from the other end of the hall capturing the table set up. There were holly leaves gathered to use for decoration for the evening event.















The hall was quite an impressive sight in day light, but at night, even more so....come back for part two:)


I am linking this post up to the Home school Field trip hop