Wimpole History Festival 2019: biggest and best yet
Wimpole History Festival had a record-breaking weekend with ticket sales up by a fifth as visitors to the three-day event basked in glorious weather and listened to talks from famous authors and historians.
Many well-known names appeared at the festival, now in its third year, from keynote speaker Jonathan Freedland’s talk on fake news, to TV screenwriter Sally Wainwright’s discussion about her hit series Gentleman Jack, plus Ed Stourton, Andrew Roberts, Antony Beevor, Melvyn Bragg, and Neil Oliver. The festival also had it’s first school day, with 500 childen attending.
Children’s author Michael Morpurgo, so taken with the festival that he will become a patron in 2020, said: “This has been the most wonderful festival to come to and read in. I’ve
enjoyed every moment of it.”
Festival Director, Cathy Moore, said: “Wimpole History Festival 2019 completed its hat-trick this year by delivering three fes-tivals which have been characterised by a roll call of terrific speakers, thousands of hap-py festival goers and stunning summer weather. The atmosphere was that of a weekend-long quintessentially English Garden party with the added bonus of fabulous events and historical re-enactors spanning the arc of history from the Anglo-Saxons to Post-Truth politics and fake news plus a cornucopia of street food vans serving up a
Festival Director, Cathy Moore, said: “Wimpole History Festival 2019 completed its hat-trick this year by delivering three fes-tivals which have been characterised by a roll call of terrific speakers, thousands of hap-py festival goers and stunning summer weather. The atmosphere was that of a weekend-long quintessentially English Garden party with the added bonus of fabulous events and historical re-enactors spanning the arc of history from the Anglo-Saxons to Post-Truth politics and fake news plus a cornucopia of street food vans serving up a veritable smor- gasbord. The real icing on the cake this year was the initiative to hold our first schools day and we welcomed 500 primary school children from schools across the region in- cluding The Spinney, St.Alban’s, Bassingborn, Cambourne, St.Mary’s and Abbey Meadows. It was a joy to see so many children enjoying history in way that will stay with them and help to shape them and their future. History makes us who we are.”
National Trust Regional Director, East of England, Paul Forecast, said: “We hold this festival at Wimpole because it is a place defined by centuries of human activity. It has been a joy to welcome families and every generation to this splendid set- ting in the comforting sunshine, accompanied by Roman legions, Iron Age axe wielders and World War 2 soldiers. It is heartening to know that we are creating the future advo- cates for history and heritage, as we reconnected with our origins and learnt untold lessons from the past.”
A happy regular at the festival, Lucy Worsley called it “supercalifragilisticexpealido- cious” and Philip Ardagh said: “The Wimpole History Festival has already established itself as a unique and special festival, at this wonderful National Trust property, attract- ing big names and new faces and audiences of all ages and interests. Long may it reign! ” Hallie Rubenhold, who appeared with her book, The Five (check), said: “Like so many authors and historians, I do a lot of events. This is positively invigorating: what an inspiring setting.”
