A summer festival showcasing the history, archaeology and heritage of the Nene Valley will launch at the Chester House Estate on Saturday 25 June and at Stanwick Lakes on Sunday 26 June.

The Chester House Estate, Stanwick Lakes and the School of Archaeology and Ancient History at the University of Leicester, with support from Rushden Lakes, are running the month long festival.

At the Chester House Estate, the launch will be Roman themed with fun for all the family, including Roman reenactments. Find out about everyday life as a Roman solider, with the University of Leicester on hand to answer questions.

On the Sunday at Stanwick Lakes the theme will be ‘Traditional Crafts Past and Present’ and activities will include an exciting ‘Travel through Time’ trail and demonstrations of traditional crafts, including blacksmithing, jewellery making and chainsaw carving.

The month long festival also includes a day of activities for children and young people at Chester House on Saturday 2 July, with archaeology taster activities and drop-in sessions for those thinking about careers, apprenticeships and university study in archaeology, history, heritage, conservation, sustainable tourism and related fields.

Activities will continue throughout July including at Chester House Estate on Saturday 9 and Saturday 16 July opportunities to find out how people of all ages can get involved with archaeology, history and heritage in the Nene Valley and beyond.

On the final weekend of the festival, The Lace Wars, an 18th Century reenactment group will be on site at Chester House with activities including leather craft workshops with experts from the Leather Conservation Centre at both Chester House and Stanwick Lakes, including iron age shoe making.

Bookable talks and tours will be available throughout the month at both Chester House and Stanwick Lakes, with information available online.

For more information about the festival visit:
https://chesterhouseestate.org/about/