A brand new dragon for Kenilworth Castle's St George!
Saturday 21 & Sunday 22 April 2012
The story of St George and his legendary foe has been told countless times, but visitors to Kenilworth Castle’s patriotic celebration will be joined by a brand new larger-than-life reptile, as English Heritage unveils its new dragon!
The fearsome new dragon joined a respected line of dragons that have graced English Heritage’s re-enactments over the years, each putting in a good fight against the noble knight, St George. This year’s event will see the dragon pitted against a St George of some pedigree, played by historic re-enactor and swordsman, Mark Vance, in a thrilling combat show!
“It takes a special type of dragon to die two or three times a day in front of an audience of thousands, but we think we’ve found just the character for our St George’s Day pageant at Kenilworth Castle,” comments English Heritage’s regional events manager, Karen Pike. “We are confident that this dragon will give our St George a run for his money, as he should be more nimble than our last wyvern, which means even more thrills for the audience!”
Alongside storytelling – not only about the traditional legend, but also a legend that reveals Coventry as St George’s original home - and the ultimate confrontation between George and the dragon, visitors will also be able to wander around a medieval living history encampment, where they will meet all kinds of characters from the 15thcentury who are taking a break from their usual toils to enjoy the celebrations of the feast of St George, and take in the delicious smells of food fit for a knight cooking over an open fire!
The weekend will also feature hands-on activities and trails, plus a chance to look at and handle some of the armour worn by a medieval knight.
The event runs on Saturday 21 & Sunday 22 April from 11.00am to 5.00pm, with Kenilworth Castle and the Elizabethan Garden open an hour earlier from 10.00am. Admission prices are £9.70 for adults, £8.80 for concessions and £5.90 for children, with a family ticket (for two adults and up to three children) for £24.50. English Heritage members get in free.
St George and the Dragon is part of KenilworthCastle’s medieval season of events and activities being held between April and September. For more information, please visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/kenilworth or call 01926 852078.
ENDS
For further media information, or for a copy of English Heritage's 2012 events press pack for the West Midlands, please contact:
Jay Commins – PRO English Heritage (West Midlands)
Tel: 0113 251 5698
Mob: 07810 546567
Email: jay@fim.org.uk
