Dark Knights of Leeds Castle, gear up for your next official Horrible Histories mission this May Half Term! From Tuesday 27 May to Sunday 1 June, enjoy a horribly hilarious romp through history as you create crazy cures for medieval ailments – whether it’s a pesky cold, a throbbing head or a knightly battle bruise. Discover the sometimes deadly truths of life in the Measly Middle Ages with ALL-NEW activities inspired by the bestselling Horrible Histories books written by Terry Deary and illustrated by Martin Brown, published by Scholastic.
It’s 1278 and after a perilous battle in the Middle East, Queen Eleanor of Castile – yes, the brave queen who took up arms herself – and her valiant husband, King Edward I, find themselves in grave danger. Disaster strikes when an enemy assassin’s poisoned dagger leaves the king seriously wounded. But fear not! Our fierce queen comes to the action, bravely sucking the poison from his arm to save his life.
Your Measly Mission Awaits
Join us as you dive into a time filled with dreadful diseases, potent poisons and astonishingly absurd cures. Listen to spine-tingling tales of treacherous treatments, then gather your wild ideas to create your own concoction at the Castle Apothecary. As a token of gratitude for your valiant contributions to ‘modern’ medicine, receive a special gift from Queen Eleanor!
During your adventure, you’ll collect wonderfully weird ideas for your own curious cure, inspired by the revolting remedies you discover along the way. You’ll encounter:
🦠 Dreadful Diseases and Creative Cures: will you concoct a bruise remedy using a plaster of bacon fat mixed with wild boar’s grease? (Caution: you might end up with more bruises from tussling with the boar!) Or maybe you’ll fix a stuffy nose with the smoke of burnt feathers – just make sure they’re not still attached to the chicken! Oh, and for gout, how about a plaster made with goat droppings, rosemary and honey?
🧪 Measly Medieval Medicine Storytelling & Groovy Gruesome Games: take to the Pavilion Lawn for uproarious tales and activities.
⚔️ Nice for Knights, Horrible for Horses, & Piteous for Peasants: discover what life was like during medieval times.
🏰 Our Crackin’ Castle: be on the lookout for our horribly infamous poo drop!
🐦⬛ Foul Food & Beastly Birds: find the fluffy woodland creatures that were once a knight’s dinner delight… don’t worry, we’ll let them scurry on their way this time
Join us for an adventure you won’t forget, filled with hilariously horrible history! Will you survive the Measly Medieval Mission? Come and find out at Leeds Castle!
*A trail booklet and prize are available for a small additional cost. The trail booklet grants entrance to the Castle Apothecary for the craft activity and includes a gold coin reward from the Queen.