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| phthonos |
on Sun 26 Jul 09, 6:42 PM to phthonos's blog.
Tags: Northampton (NN)
Persuaded by some friend, I spent most of today at an English Heritage event called Festival of History. There were some worthy static displays by various archaeological groups and the like. But the main entertainment was the re-enactment of battles.
The people doing the re-enacting were not actors but people who enjoy this parallel fantasy world. I spoke to several who spend almost every weekend doing this. Pretty much every period was represented: Roman, Tudor, medieval, Boer War, First War, Second, Spanish Civil, Korean etc. Each group has its dedicated era and god do they know their stuff – I made the mistake of asking one young man about his First World War gas mask: oh dear!
But the fantasy does not end with battles. All the performers camp for the duration in the manner of their period, i.e. tents and shelters as befits the era.
Nor was it restricted to obsessive-bloke types, who tend to monopolise the strange-hobby domain. No indeed. There were plenty of women there too- admittedly quite a few cooking historically accurate al fresco fare over open fires and minding game-boy-free children.
One very attractive young woman I got talking to was dressed as a First World War nurse. Now the nurse's uniform alone, for me, well need I say more? But then she mentioned, she was wearing a corset (the context being that back in 1916 it must have really hindered nursing duties). Her equally attractive friend joined in the conversation telling me her uniform (more that of a military orderly) didn't really hang properly unless she also wore a corset.
Now I am afraid my pervy brain has been running overtime ever since. What about all those other eras too: Romano-British women with wild hair and flowing capes, heaving-bosomed Napoleonic camp followers, pre-Raphaelite medieval heroines. All my favourite soft porn literature characters gathered in one place! And this was billed as a family event. Shouldn't be allowed.
Edited Sun 26 Jul 09, 6:46 PM by phthonos
| 26 Jul 09, 7:27 PM Scribbles UK(RH), 4 yrs |
Oooh, First World War nurse - I'm immediately thinking Miranda Richardson in Blackadder. Yum.
Edit: hope you get more erudite comments below this Edited 26 Jul 09, 7:28 PM by Scribbles | |
| 26 Jul 09, 7:58 PM razyplaits UK(PE), 4 yrs |
it was a really good weekend! iam with english civil war scoiety,if youre pervy brain was running over time then you should have seen last nights beer tent a male sub was getting a whippng in there! i donot know wich group they were with,we are re-enactars tho not performers bloody english heritage!,glad you enjoyed it. | |
| 26 Jul 09, 9:17 PM Ishmael UK(SE), 12 yrs |
I was at Kelmarsh a few years ago. Ye gods, I loathe English Heritage. Free film about The London Corporal Punishment School can be seen at http://www.the-firm.org/Cinema.htm | |
| 26 Jul 09, 9:34 PM scarlett101 UK, 7 yrs |
There is a huge cross over with re enactment and Fetish. More than people realise. We trade at Re Enactment fayres and its great..  What more excuse do i need to dress in full victorian from Corset upwards ? XX BLOOD IS JUST AN ORNAMENT, THE REAL PAIN IS DEEP INSIDE. | |
| 26 Jul 09, 9:59 PM Ishmael UK(SE), 12 yrs |
A significant cross over, certainly, but I'm not sure it's a good idea to mention it on a website. EH might read it and ban re-enactors; something they'd take a great deal of pleasure in doing, I suspect. They don't really like people dressing up and coming to their precious monuments; it's all a sop to the public.
Free film about The London Corporal Punishment School can be seen at http://www.the-firm.org/Cinema.htm | |
| 26 Jul 09, 11:12 PM CPeccavi 4 yrs |
It's just BDSM without the kink I think everyone should like everybody ..... Andy Warhol | |
| 27 Jul 09, 12:36 AM The_Quiet_One 4 yrs |
My ex got me a guest pass for this last year and the event was fantastic but her colleagues in EH started gossiping. Roman reenactment is kinky as all heck. If it weren't for the thousands of men of a certain age with a latent desire to dress up in shiny helmets and skirts at the weekends and wave their pila around in response to orders from "Tertius", those societies would have trouble fielding half a contubernium. Which I learned last year is Latin for a group of eight men who sleep in the same tent.
Fair play to them <readies ballista in case the Ninth Legion are lurking on IC...> Edited 27 Jul 09, 12:37 AM by The_Quiet_One | |
| 27 Jul 09, 1:03 AM syndeetoo UK(WC), 6 yrs |
When you start attending Renn fayres, just basically throw yourself off a bridge. You don't need me to tell you that you're going to helle in a handcarte. And Misery's The River Of The World Misery's The River Of The World Everybody Row! Everybody Row! Misery's The River Of The World Misery's The River Of The World Everybody Row! Everybody Row! Everybody Row! Everybody Row! Everybody Row! | |
| 27 Jul 09, 2:32 AM Vet_For_The_Insane UK(B), 5 yrs |
So in between bouts of trenchfoot, starvation and madness were there many trips to the Joy Division? | |
| 27 Jul 09, 12:09 PM successfu1 5 yrs |
And you'd be amazed how many groups have evening kink parties when you go home! |
And I suspect they were having you on about corsets.