Spirit of Wartime Sherwood Weekend
The Spirit of Wartime Sherwood event celebrates the Sherwood Forest Trust’s National Lottery Heritage Funded project focused on the impact of World War Two on Sherwood Forest’s landscape and communities.
18th – 19th May 2024
Thoresby Park, NG22 9EP
FREE ENTRY
Parking fees apply
10am – Show opens to the public
11am – Live music in the courtyard
11.30am – Ration book cooking demonstration in the marquee
12pm – 1940’s Dance lesson in the riding hall
1pm – Demonstrations of military tactics during Operation Market Garden on the lawns
1.30pm – Live music in the courtyard
2pm – Ration book cooking demonstration in the marquee
2.30pm – Live music in the courtyard
2.55pm – RAF Memorial flypast with Spitfire and Hurricane planes
3.15pm – 1940’s Dance lesson in the riding hall
4pm – Show closes to the public
7pm – 11pm – Kalamazoo Dance – TICKET HOLDERS ONLY
10am – Show opens to the public
11am – Live music in the courtyard
11.30am – Ration book cooking demonstration in the marquee
12pm – 1940’s Dance lesson in the riding hall
1pm – Demonstrations of military tactics during Operation Market Garden on the lawns
1.30pm – Live music in the courtyard
2pm – Ration book cooking demonstration in the marquee
2.30pm – Live music in the courtyard
3pm – 1940’s Dance lesson in the riding hall
4pm – Show closes to the public
THROUGHOUT BOTH DAYS;
Gallery: Model tanks, Holocaust Memorial Day Trust exhibition, Project artwork
Riding Hall: Project & D-Day exhibitions, Local heritage sites, Group displays
Marquee: 1940’s Vinyl DJ, Children’s crafts, “Dig for Victory” activities
The event will feature representatives from local heritage organisations as well as living history re-enactors and war-era vehicle exhibitors from across the country sharing the military and home front history of WWII. The Lawns will be full with over 110 individuals and groups exhibiting from a single period fire engine to a whole recreated outpost complete with officer’s quarters, field hospital and communication tent. Indoor spaces will see exhibitions including the story of “Nellie” the trench digging tank tested at Clumber Park, how the region contributed to D-Day, oral histories collected from local elderly residents, and the research undertaken throughout the project. The site is also home to the Royal Lancers and Nottinghamshire Yeomanry Museum who will be open and bringing additional exhibits outside to join their permanent Conqueror tank.
The event will be an opportunity for people of all ages to learn more about many aspects of WWII history, with every exhibitor keen to share their knowledge and show the history they represent “come to life”. On each day there will be ration book cooking demonstrations (with taste testing!), 1940s dance lessons, a demonstration of battle tactics showing how Allied forces would recover an occupied building from Axis soldiers in Operation Market Garden, and Saturday afternoon will feature a Spitfire and Hurricane flypast. Visitors can experience flying a Spitfire themselves using a very special simulator on site, and even ride a land train reminiscent of the trains built at the Estate by the War Office during WWII.
A Vintage Village will provide a curated shopping experience featuring genuine and replica 1940s garments, military wear, WWII based books, vintage accessories and home décor, a hairdresser to perfect your victory rolls, and much more. Food and drink will be available in the Courtyard accompanied by live singers on both days, and on the Lawns and the Marquee set to the sounds of our 1940s vinyl DJ. Tucks Brewery Taproom will also be open throughout the weekend onsite.
Thoresby Park was used by the War Office during WWII for military purposes throughout the War. We want visitors to feel transported back to that time and imagine Thoresby and the other grand Estates of Sherwood teeming with soldiers, POWs and Land Girls as they would have been. Many of our reminiscence and oral history sessions have captured positive memories of the War: people remembering the camaraderie, dances, music and adventures – we want to represent these memories of the local community through the 1940s live music on offer, as well as the sacrifices and courage of those who experienced the War at home and abroad. The weekend includes a ticketed dance on Saturday evening featuring the fabulous Kalamazoo swing band. Tickets are free but limited, so to book your place or to find out more about the weekend or the project, get in touch at susie.johns@sherwoodforesttrust.org.uk. Public camping is also available at just £40 for the whole weekend, book through Thoresby Park at https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/booking/select/uZgnhMyCPLbQ
