Open Doors

2007: The Open Doors, such as the well chamber gate at the top of the mound, and Open Minds weekend is blessed with fine weather as Café Food serves traditional English roast pig and Oxford Ale. Young visitors make colourful shields in the Key Learning Centre and bring them out to cheer for the winning side in dramatic combat displays near Debtors’ Tower. Stalls are manned by folk in period dress from the 15th Century who teach visitors fabric weaving skills and offer challenges to a game of die. Morris Dancers help celebrate the Summer Solstice and Cotswold Falconry display some of their fine eagles with stunning plumage. As part of this local heritage weekend, a series of free walking tours depart from the Castle Yard, taking visitors to new haunts, quite literally in the ghost walk!

The Green man trail is mapped out and younger visitors get a super re-telling of Matilda’s dramatic midnight escape from the Saxon Tower, wearing white to camouflage against Winter Snow. In fact you can’t miss the fact a giant Matilda, denied of her crown, makes an appearance along with her nemesis Stephen. There are stocks near the entrance to the buzzing ‘Unlocked’ and craft demonstrations of basket weaving and wood carving. Some superb Artists perform as a much-photographed comic camel and a medieval puppet show hovers near the entrance to welcome folk in. A novel entrance is open for the day in the shape of the underground tunnel that links the old court room to the prison. The sheer enthusiasm people share for medieval times, egged on by the period music, gives the event so much momentum that the grey clouds are chased away.

Lita Doolan (DI Reviewer), 25/06/07

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