Forget turkey! Hawks and owls are the new birds this Christmas!
Kenilworth Castle, 26 & 27 November 2011
By the end of the year, no doubt most people will be happy that they don’t have to eat another mouthful of turkey until next Christmas, but on 26 & 27 November, visitors to Kenilworth Castle will meet the birds that can keep providing meat for the table all year round as the English Heritage site hosts Festival Falconry!
Throughout the weekend, Mike and Emma Raphael, from Raphael Falconry, will be demonstrating the skills and prowess of their birds of prey which traditionally would have been used to hunt for food to bring back to the dining table. The Festive Falconry weekend will be the first time visitors to Kenilworth Castle will see a Ferruginous owl, alongside a host of other birds including an Eagle owl and hunting hawks.
“Hunting birds would have been used throughout medieval England to provide food for the table, with mammals like rabbits a particularly popular favourite,” says English Heritage’s regional marketing manager, Sophie White. “Although laws decreed that the largest birds could only be flown by members of the nobility, there were plenty of people who relied on hawks and kestrels to bring home their evening meal.”
Hunting of all kinds was known to be very popular at Kenilworth Castle, and indeed, part of Robert Dudley’s rationale for moving the Gatehouse ahead of Elizabeth I’s famous visit in 1575 was to provide easier access for the Queen’s parties to the local hunting grounds.
The displays will start from 11.00am, although visitors will be able to view many of the birds in the Hawk House throughout the day, and play traditional period games. The Hawk House closes at 3.00pm, and the castle closes an hour later, at 4.00pm. Admission is £8.00 for adults, £7.20 for concessions and £4.80 for children, with a family ticket available for £20.80 (two adults and up to three children), or free for English Heritage members.
Throughout the weekend, Kenilworth Castle’s shop, featuring a wide range of wines and liqueurs, chutneys and unusual gifts will also be open. Indeed, on the evening of Tuesday 29 November, it will be open for a late-night shopping extravaganza from4.00pmto8.00pm, with product samplings of the preserves and alcoholic tipples, and a 10% discount on any purchases made on the evening!
Kenilworth Castle itself is open every weekend throughout the winter (excluding 24 & 25 December and 1 January) from 10.00am to 4.00pm.
For more information, please visit www.english-heritage.org.uk/kenilworth or call 0870 333 1181.
ENDS
For further media information, please contact:
Jay Commins – PRO English Heritage (West Midlands)
Tel: 0113 251 5698
Mob: 07810 546567
Email: jay@fim.org.uk
