SAXON LIFE EXPLORED AT WEST HORSLEY PLACE THIS OCTOBER
This autumn, as the Bayeux Tapestry goes on display at the British Museum for the first time, West Horsley Place in Surrey is looking beyond the battles, kings and conquest to explore the everyday world of the Saxon people who lived, worked and gathered on this ancient estate.
On 24 and 25 October, Saxon Saga: Living History & Fire Festival will bring the rhythms of Anglo-Saxon life to West Horsley Place, with a weekend centred on food, fire, craft, storytelling and community.
Taking place as autumn deepens and the days grow shorter, the festival will explore a way of life shaped by the natural year. Harvests had to be gathered and stored, food preserved, clothing and tools made and repaired, and preparations made for the colder, darker months ahead.
These were not simply practical concerns but the rhythms around which everyday life was organised – a close relationship with the land, the seasons and the resources available at different times of year.
It is a rhythm that, in different ways, can still be felt at West Horsley Place today.
A Saxon community at West Horsley
Long before the present manor house took shape, there was Horselege – a Saxon settlement whose community was already established centuries ago.
Around the dwelling of its local thegn (nobleman) would have been homes, workshops and farmsteads belonging to the people who lived and worked on the land. Their lives would have been
closely connected to the seasons: growing and harvesting food, tending animals, making and mending what was needed, and coming together as a community through the changing year.
In 1066, the man who held West Horsley was Beorhtsige, also known as Brixi, a Saxon thegn with connections to the royal house of King Harold.
The story of Beorhtsige places West Horsley within the extraordinary events of the Norman Conquest. But Saxon Saga will look beyond the rulers and battles of 1066 to imagine the much more familiar, human world beneath them – the people who cooked, worked, crafted and gathered.
Clare Clinton, Deputy Director at West Horsley Place, said, “There is a tendency to think of the Saxon period through the lens of kings, battles and 1066, but for most people life was about something much more immediate – food, work, family, community and the changing seasons.
That feels particularly relevant at West Horsley Place. This was an established community long before the Norman Conquest, and people here would have lived in close relationship with the land around them. They would have known when to harvest, when to preserve food, when to repair and make things, and when the coming of winter meant gathering together around the fire.
Saxon Saga gives us a chance to explore that more intimate side of history. And there is something especially evocative about doing it here, in a place where that relationship with the seasons, crafting and community remains such an important part of our estate.”
The skills and rituals of Saxon life IN SURREY
Across the weekend, living history group Herigeas Hundas will bring Anglo-Saxon life vividly to life,
recreating the sights, sounds and skills of the period through a packed programme of demonstrations and activities. Visitors can watch traditional crafts such as smithing, spear making and woodworking, and even have a go themselves, with opportunities to try weaving, spinning yarn and rune stamping. Music, storytelling and combat displays will also offer fascinating insights into the beliefs, skills and everyday lives of the people who lived here more than a thousand years ago. Younger visitors can also enjoy Saxon-inspired activities including shield making, painting and archery.
A series of talks will delve deeper into the world of the Saxons, exploring everything from wise women and plant dyeing to the ways of the warrior.
In the ancient kitchen at West Horsley Place, Jane’s Historical Kitchen will take visitors on a culinary journey into the Saxon world, preparing food and drinks inspired by recipes from the period.
Through the ingredients, flavours and cooking methods, visitors can discover how closely food was shaped by the seasons – by what could be grown, gathered, stored and preserved – and by the ever-present fire on which meals were prepared.
Stories will be woven throughout the weekend, with regular storytelling sessions bringing the myths and legends of the period to life. Each day will culminate in a dramatic performance of Beowulf, the greatest of all Saxon epics, with the hero’s legendary battle against a mighty dragon unfolding as dusk falls.
And as night draws in, both days will end with a spectacular shared experience: visitors will gather around a handcrafted replica Saxon ship as it is set alight against the darkening sky. As flames rise and the ship is illuminated by fire, there will be a chance to pause, gather and enjoy the warmth and spectacle – evoking the communal rituals and traditions of centuries ago.
Saxon Saga: Living History & Fire Festival takes place at West Horsley Place on Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October 2026, from 1.30pm to 7.30pm each day.
Advance tickets are priced from £15 for adults (£20 standard) and £8 for children.
Find out more and book tickets here – westhorsleyplace.org/whats-on/saxon-sagas
