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Celebrate Newcastle at Brampton Museum

Here ye here ye! Appetite and friends at the Brampton Museum cordially invite you to a day of medieval entertainment and fantastical fun to celebrate 850 years of Newcastle-under-Lyme becoming a borough! Celebrate Newcastle will be taking over the land of the Brampton Museum on Saturday 3 June from 11am to 4pm with performances from noble knights, fearless dragons and medieval minstrels to transport you back in time!

ACCESS

All performances will be family friendly and accessible for wheelchair users. We have additional access support on certain performances including audio description (AD) and British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation. For more information you can:

See the listings below
Head over to our Celebrate Newcastle Access Page which includes a social story, trigger warnings, facilities information and some performance previews including videos
Visit our FAQ page for details on parking and the venue
Download and print our full event timetable, including details of BSL and AD performances here.
Talk to the Appetite team and volunteers on the day of the event at the Appetite HQ! This is our blue Appetite gazebo

KEEP IT GREEN

There will be recycling and a water bottle refill point at the museum. Please travel by public transport if you can. If you are bringing a picnic, please help us by putting your rubbish in the recycling bins located on the site.

Want to know more about what’s instore for this almighty jest-filled celebration? Read our list of performers below

***More performers and timeslots to be announced! Keep an eye on our social media and website***

Story telling with Lunarts | The storyteller will interact with the children in the audience and go back in time on a magical medieval adventure together. They will brew potions, defeat mythical creatures, and save the village together. The children will be able to use the props throughout the activity and in the end, they will take a keepsake home with them.

Story Tent on Croquet Lawn | 11.15am – 11.45am | 2.15pm – 2.45pm

Medieval Surgeon | Owain Leech, Medieval Surgeon, will be happy to treat any aches, pains, illnesses (including the pestilence) and injuries including sword, bullet, and arrow wounds, broken limbs and heads using the latest medieval techniques. Tooth pulling is a speciality and leeches available upon request.

Medieval village | 11.30am – 1.30pm | 2.15pm – 4pm

Medieval dress up | What did ordinary people wear in 1173? Take a look at some reconstructions with a medieval tailor, and pop something on for a photograph, to see how you look. Your picture will be shared on our Facebook page after the event – be sure to find your photo and tag yourself in!

Medieval village | 11am – 1.30pm | 2.15pm – 4pm

Epico the Dragon | Household favourite Sir Aurelious Jones and his goblin servant, whip the crowd into a frenzy. A Hero chosen from the audience must master three tests to win the Silver Breastplate, before embarking on a quest to find and tame the beast. In the Dragon’s Lair, our Hero must face their fear to rescue Sir Aurelious from certain death! The show puts children in “the position of expert,” in order to teach Aurelious the importance and values of friendship. Having saved both Aurelious’s life and his friendship with Epico, the child is knighted before leaving the Heroic World transformed.

Wooded area near to croquet lawn | 12pm – 12.30pm | 1.30pm – 2pm | 3.20pm – 3.50pm

Stilt Walking Knights & Quip the Jester | Sir Lance-A-Bit and Sir Bob, the nation’s TALLEST knights, are here to rescue fair dragons and battle fiery maidens.. Wait, no, that’s not quite right… Either way their gallant and gallivanting antics will keep you in hysterics, high spirits, and ready to party like it’s 1499! Quip the Jester performs a bizarre brand of courtly chaos with his not-so-medieval monocycle and mischievous juggling foolery. His curly-tipped boots have taken him on travels from the courts of kings and the lands of Arthurian legend, ALL the way to Newcastle-under-Lyme!

Roaming | 12.30pm – 1pm | 1.45pm – 2.15pm | 2.45pm – 3.15pm

Medieval Tile Making | Have a go at creating your own medieval tile and see original and replica medieval tiles.

Croquet lawn | 11am – 4pm

DJ Dances of Old | Ever wondered how people moved before they moved like Jagger? Come see the medieval dancers perform inside the museum! You can even join the fun yourself out on the lawn at the end of the day.

Museum Activity Space 1.15pm – 1.45pm | 2.45pm – 3.15pm | 3.50pm – 4pm

Stone Sculpting | Try your hand at creating your own stone sculpture to takeaway. Children taking part in this activity music be accompanied by an adult.

Croquet lawn | 11am – 1.30pm | 2.15pm – 4pm

Medieval Village | Take a stroll through the middle ages, and experience the world of Norman life. From authentic cooking, to the songs of the time, the reenactors create a fully functioning and fully alive encampment that will showcase the life of the civilians and military alike.

Brampton park | 11am – 4pm | Tours of the village taking place 12pm & 12.30pm

Medieval Fashion Show | An overview of 12th century fashion, explaining the different meanings and importance of the cut, the colour and fabric of 12th century clothing.

Brampton Park | 11am – 11.20am

Medieval Combat | In a re-enactment of medieval combat, experience the sights, sounds and even smells of a medieval battle close up as two sides clash in competitive combat.

Brampton Park | 12.30pm – 1.15pm | 2.15pm – 3.30pm

Have a go archery | Children and adults alike can try their hand at archery! Using period bows and shooting at hanging dummies and shield targets, each participant gets 6 arrows to try and score as many hits as possible

Brampton Park | 11am – 4pm

Hurried Histories | See key Historical events of the past come to life in this dramatised re-enactment by Historia Normannis

Museum activity space | 2pm – 2.2pm

Shire Court | Ever wondered what medieval life was like? Historia Normannis can show you the intricate details of the medieval court. Shire court gives audiences the facts and fun of medieval crime and punishment as though they were sat in court themselves

Museum activity space | 11.30am – 11.50am

Calligraphy & Brass Rubbing | Have a go at Medieval Calligraphy and Brass Rubbing with Brother James (aka local artist Glenn Jones.) Learn how feathers were turned into pens and how people shared their news before TikTok and Facebook.

Croquet lawn | 11am – 1pm | 1.45pm – 4pm

Wandering Minstrels | Minstrels Trouvere will be playing medieval music in and around the park. The magnificently loud bagpipe and drum can’t be missed, but they might also sound up the harp or the flute… or blast out the odd fanfare! Sneakily, they might also be in disguise as Reynard the Fox and Tibert the Cat…

Roaming | 11.30am – 12pm

Medieval Minstrels ‘Five Centuries of Music’ | Minstrels Trouvere will take you on a whistle-stop musical history tour from the Norman Conquest to the Wars of the Roses on a fascinating range of instruments. Worried that you don’t know your shawm from your gittern? Trouvere will put you straight!

Museum activity space | 12.30pm – 1pm