English Heritage Festival 2018

 

I love living in Medway. We are really lucky that our area is full of lots of activities and full of history! It could be a trip to a castle, Sweeps festival (coming up next weekend) and the Dickens festival to name just a few.

These events are always a wonderful family day out, a little learning adventure and, for me, a family tradition that has carried on from when I was a child to being a parent.

At the weekend we had the English Heritage Festival which is always a fun-packed day out for the whole family celebrating the most iconic and ironic of English traditions.

It is always a day full of activities, fun and good food and drink; something that I have always loved and so have the boys. It was also the first time that Hannah had come to join us. With the good news that she can finally come and live here in Kent it seemed right to start throwing her and the kids into some of our local events.

Riverside country park is quite large and with a play park in the middle as a central point the grounds are split into three themed areas - The Countryside Experience, Iconic England and Village Square.

Once we had arrived I had to go and pick up the boys from their Mum. She is a NCT Medway support worker and is always keen on volunteering so it's great that we find a way to co-parent and support each other’s interests at the same time. I also have great respect for the NCT volunteer team and being available to have tents and supporting people available. If you want to find out more follow the link above.

The NCT tent was based in the village square which seemed like a great place to start looking around!  

The square had a vast array of  entertainers, local businesses and farmers market, with a whole array of local producers.

We started by looking at some of the craft stalls where they had some lovely girl accessories like ribbons and bows as well as so special bath soaps and bombs. One of the first stalls that jumped out at us was a lovely garden ornaments and pots. Some of the quirky characters as well as the clever engineering of materials suited the style we are looking for in our garden.



We, of course, bumped into Joanne's Preserves; Jo offers a range of Jams, Marmalades, Jellies and Pickles and we always have to stock up.



We couldn't resist getting some and William has already had some ideas on using them in his baking so watch this space for some of the future recipes!

Next we came across the lovely guys selling some fresh local strawberries and we couldn't resist grabbing some for a treat at lunchtime.

Then not too far were the lovely guys at McCathy's who offer a range of baked goodies! The smell of their bread made us stop in our tracks and yet their versions of pasties, pies and rolls just carried on filling our senses.

Just like Joanne's preserves, we had to stop at The Brownie Edit to grab some snacks. I managed to grab this Mars Bar Brownie for an afternoon treat when I knew I wouldn't have the boys! We also found out that despite creating these gorgeous goodies that the next day they were running in the London Marathon; now that's commitment!

And finally for the food, we came across the fantastic guys at The Giggly Pig who offered a range of different flavoured sausage products. They were also running a stall to grab some cooked lunch with!



With lunch time looming we headed back to the car for a picnic but found a giant deckchair that we couldn't resist walking past. It was deemed, however, unwise for me to get in in case I couldn't get out!

 

After lunch we went and explored the different areas. The first was the iconic England.

Here you had an array of different situations.

Along with funfair type attractions like an inflatable slide and a helter-skelter there were classic sweet stalls, ice cream makers and candyfloss.

To the side we found a classic post van. We found that the owner had restored it to its original condition and then collected surrounding memorabilia including an original photo of the van when it was first put "on lot" that was sent to them following another event. 

Next we came across the classic Victorian characters. Just like the Sweeps and Dickens festivals it is always fun seeing people volunteers, re-enact and enjoy the history of the area. The moment we approached the actors were straight into character, doing the voices and interacting with the children.

Here we also saw the collection of vintage cars, Mini owners club and along with that Dellboy's Robin reliant with a Pearly King!

Even whilst we were looking around you could see the owners cleaning and taking care of the cars. The love and attention to something that is a staple of English iconic history was brilliant!

We then found a replica model of the Queen Mary that has been under restoration at our local docks for the last 18 months. We learnt about the history of the vessel where it was one of the leading ships at Dunkirk where it rescued 7,000 soldiers. 

 

There was a classic Punch and Judy show and although I have always found them a tad weird James was very keen to see them.

This nicely went into to the countryside experience section.

We started off with a chance to chat to Medway Bee Keeping who had some great resources available but the kids loved learning how to make candles! It was an interesting and actually quite simple process that I would love to try again with the boys.

A new attraction and feature this year were the Kent wood turners. Although these were individuals and groups coming together we saw a wooden vase being made and got to see some beautiful and detailed crafts.

Usually the boys love riding the donkeys but last year they missed the chance where the donkey's were resting. Although it was a tradition I did feel that the kids were now too big and I didn't want to put the poor donkey's under the strain. They were still beautiful though!

There were options to have a chance to be physical with a local dance club showing everyone different iconic dances from swing time to waltzes. Will was quite interested so, in a very non English way, plonked himself down next to a stranger to watch.

As in the other area, we also found a selection of classic tractors. Previous years we have been able to get a lot closer but it was still interesting hearing about the different types but this year they were paraded in the main square.

Another new feature this year was the inclusion of these stunning miniature steam engines. The sheer engineering to create these working models I found absolutely incredible.

Here we found a petting farm with Chickens, lambs, pigs, cows and calves and to the side some beautiful shire horses!

 

My favourite were these absolutely beautiful calves; much to Hannah’s disgust and dislike of cows!

The countryside area had a combination of classic rural culture to active farming.

We even had a chance to watch a blacksmith and a real highlight for the boys and myself, sheep shearing!

Finally, on the way out, we saw some falconry and owls. Although we didn't get to see them fly we did get to see them up close and stroke a few.

Every year this event comes round and the run up to it gets me all excited to see what is going to happen. The day had started off perfectly with beautiful sunshine which lasted all day and I think it covered so many different attractions.

For me it highlights the fun and love of iconic historic England and highlights some of the finest locally made products. The food and drink quality of these independent companies is amazing and the combination of quality, locally made and stepping back in nostalgia made the event brilliant.

The fact that Hannah and the kids could come too just made the day even better.