St Bede's Festival - Ford & Etal

North Northumberland steps back to the time of Anglo-Saxon saints and settlers and Viking raiders during the Late Spring Bank Holiday weekend.

Visitors to the villages on the Ford and Etal Estates will be able to try their hand at weaving on an Anglo-Saxon loom, or make their own mini-Gospels with the help of the team from Bede’s World.
An 8th century Northumbrian encampment in Etal village is the setting for traditional crafts such as leather and wood-working, basket-making, spinning and dyeing wool.

Warriors from the North East based re-enactment group St. Cuthbert’s Land will practice archery and hand-to-hand combat skills and there will be music, song and storytelling from the period.
A little further along the River Till, the restored water-powered Heatherslaw Mill provides an appropriate setting for demonstrations of corn-grinding and breadmaking.

The event is being staged as part of the Golden Age of Northumbrian Festival, supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and marks the Feast Day of Bede, the monk-historian of Jarrow.
Bede wrote books on a wide range of subjects including the first history of the English Church and People. The processes and skills used by the Northumbrian monks are illustrated in displays and activities at Lady Waterford Hall in Ford village. There will hands-on calligraphy sessions for all ages and an exhibition of work created by present day artists from the Border Calligraphers.

The stories of Bede’s work and the lives of the saints he recorded are told in a fascinating exhibition in Etal Church. Also on display will be a variety of art and craftwork produced by children from six local schools, based on the colours and design of the Northumberland Flag which is said to have its origins in the 7th century.