Rare footage of 1966 Battle of Hastings re-enactment comes to light

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 6 Oct, 00:24 · Archive

English Heritage has acquired and restored film of the first Battle of Hastings re-enactment from 1966.

English Heritage has acquired and restored rare footage of the first re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings, which took place in 1966. The film shows students from Kent and Sussex taking part in the event near Hastings, with combatants shouting 'Harold!' whilst brandishing spears.

The footage has been preserved for nearly six decades and will now be shown to the public for the first time this weekend. The Guardian notes that the re-enactment involved 'a lot of pushing and shoving' between the participants, with the Norman forces famously delayed by twenty minutes due to traffic on the A27 from Brighton whilst they changed into their costumes.

How it is being reported

• Time capsule film of the first ever re-enactment of Battle of Hastings is unearthed and restored after nearly 60 yearsDaily Mail · 6 Oct, 00:04
• ‘A God-almighty punch-up’: rare footage shows Battle of Hastings (the 1966 one)The Guardian · 6 Oct, 00:01

In this story: English Heritage · Hastings · Kent · Sussex · Brighton

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