Waterloo 200

I was lucky enough to be able to visit the battlefield of Waterloo on the 18th June 2015, that date being the 200th anniversary of one of Europe’s most important battles. Waterloo, for those unfamiliar with the battle, saw the end of Napoleon Bonaparte’s reign as Emperor of the French 1st Empire and led to far reaching political changes throughout the continent.

The anniversary was marked by a re-enactment which that took place over two evenings (the 19th and 20th June). This evening arrangement did not fit my itinerary so I elected to be present on the anniversary day itself.

Initially, I had some trouble getting on to the battlefield because official ceremonies were taking place. However, this was not a complete disaster because at the site off the battlefield, the Scots Greys re-enactors were doing a film shoot which I would not have seen had the battlefield been open.

I found my way (circuitously) to the Lion Mound, which is the main memorial to the battle and encountered many re-enactors in the cafes and bars and in the tented market that was there to tempt the public into buying books, mugs, games, models and re-enactment equipment including muskets, leather riding boots and even reproduction saddles.

The battlefield opened to the public at 3pm and I walked along the ridge that the Duke of Wellington’s forces had defended arriving at the chateau of Hougoumont which saw some very heavy fighting throughout the battle, until the French eventually withdrew. It was interesting to see the terrain and to note how close the two armies would have been to each other. Napoleon’s headquarters, the coaching inn called La Belle Alliance, was clearly visible as I passed along the British position.

Hougoumont is not as large as I thought it would be but I was still impressed by it and gained a good appreciation of the difficulty the French would have had trying to assault it through awkward tree lines and up steep slopes. In my mind’s eye, I could imagine the heroic efforts of soldiers on both sides as they struggled for supremacy at this key site.

The photographs are of various re-enactors I encountered whilst at Waterloo on the 18th June and also, obvious from the building and cobbled streets, of some additional re-enactors that happened to march past as I was sightseeing in Brussels next day. I was amazed by the historical accuracy of the costumes they wore and equipment they carried.

Guest post by T.A.G.

I have only included a few of the photographs so I recommend you look at the full photo gallery here. Just click on any photo to enlarge it and scroll through the gallery.

The English Heritage Angel Awards, celebrate the efforts of local people who saved historic buildings and local places.  They were founded by Andrew Lloyd Weber and are supported by the Telegraph.

The awards take place annually and the winners from the 2013 shortlist are due to be announced at an awards ceremony in London on 21st October 2013.  There were four categories in this years Angel Awards:

• The best rescue or repair of a historic place of worship
• The best rescue of a historic industrial building or site
• The best craftsmanship employed on a heritage rescue
• The best rescue of a listed building, scheduled monument, registered park, garden or battlefield, protected wreck site or conservation area

The ‘Remembering Flodden Project for Flodden Battlefield, Branxton, Northumberland’ was one of the projects that was shortlisted for ‘The Best Rescue of Any Other Type of Historic Building or Site‘:

An Excerpt from the Submission

• Flodden is one of only three locations in the British Isles where a reigning monarch died in battle. Hastings and Bosworth are renowned but Flodden, where James IV of Scotland died in 1513, is less well-known.
• A large granite cross erected in 1910 on top of Piper’s Hill became neglected and covered in weeds. A faded interpretation board gave a limited account of the battle and a short footpath to the monument was the only access to the battlefield. Visitors asked “Where is Flodden Field?”, then a little later “Is this all there is?” Flodden needed to be remembered.
• In 2003 a group of local volunteers set up: Remembering Flodden Project. Permission was granted by the landowner for a new 2 km Battlefield Trail that was in turn funded by the Local Heritage Initiative. Seats and new interpretation boards describing aspects of the battle were positioned along the trail and a larger board and map installed at the car park.
• Donations for an A3 leaflet help pay for the reprints and petrol for the mower that is used to cut the grass each week. Last year we produced a DVD, The Battle of Flodden – Then and Now and this year we will publish a battlefield guidebook. There is no visitor centre on the Battlefield but the village bought the disused phone box from BT for £1 and this is now ‘The Smallest Visitor Centre in the World’. It contains a detailed map of the routes taken to the battle by the two opposing armies, information about local places of interest that are relevant to the Flodden story and audio and WiFi links.
• The rescue of this site started in 2003 and work has been ongoing since then. All work is done by a small group of local volunteers and the site has earned a Quality Assured commendation, and in 2012 won a Love Northumberland award. This year heralds the 500th anniversary of the Battle and as we approach, visitor numbers have increased tenfold (we expect 20,000 this year) and the Battlefield Trail is used for conducted walks and talks.

Find out more about Flodden Battlefield

See the Heritage List entry for Flodden Field

My review of the battlefield guidebook can be found here.