James Mitchell, a passionate history researcher, regularly conducts tours around Wantage, famously known as the birthplace of King Alfred the Great. The most recent tour took place last Sunday, September 14.
King Alfred, an influential Anglo-Saxon ruler of Wessex in the 9th century, is known for his decisive victories against Viking invaders and was prominently featured in the Netflix series The Last Kingdom. Mr. Mitchell’s tours delve into the possibility of a lost royal palace in Wantage where Alfred might have been born.
The one-hour tours, titled ‘King Alfred’s Lost Wantage Palace,’ explore various potential sites where the monarch could have been born in 849AD. These tours happen approximately once a month, with the subsequent events during ‘AlfredFest’ on Sunday, October 26, and Saturday, November 22. Tickets can be obtained from the Lost Wantage Palace page on the appropriate ticketing website.
Participants in these tours are taken on a historical journey that spans from pre-Roman times to the Victorian era, highlighting Wantage’s fascinating connections to figures like Robin Hood and Dick Whittington. Mr. Mitchell’s “theatrical approach” aims to make history both informative and engaging.
In his own words, “Wantage is steeped in history. These walks offer a chance to step back into the past, to imagine where King Alfred might have first seen the light of day, and to picture what the royal palace might have looked like.”
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