Frequently Asked Questions
 What is living history?
Living history is a modern interpretation of the past from the archaeological and written evidence which has survived. It can never be an exact and 100% true interpretation of the past as there are many things that we don't know, either because they've never been written down or the evidence just does not exist. The medieval mind was very different to the modern mind and they interpreted the world in a completely different way to us. However, with this in mind, it is still a wonderful way to help teach history. This modern computer literate society is always looking for new and exciting ways to learn and the internet has proved to be a wonderful tool for doing this. Living history though, offers people a chance to really get involved and hands on with the history and to at least come away with an impression and feeling for what medieval life was like, and how it compares to the life they live now. So that they can see how many things are the same and how many have changed. It's all very well to read about what life was like but there is no better way to learn about history than to touch and discover it for yourself.
Our displays are as authentic as we can make them, though we do have a few concessions to safety and practicality within our displays, for example very realistic fake food is used in our school displays to negate any worries about health and safety and because it's more practical. There are also no boys hose (trousers) as in reality they would be tied on to the mens doublet (jacket) but this would take half the display to get hose on and off! We use a mike at some schools so students can hear us as large halls tend to be very echoey. We use fake blood in the surgery as the real stuff is unhygienic and impractical and in our crime & punishment display for the trial of the pig we use a fake pig as obviously having a real pig on site would be a real hazard and very hard to arrange! All the displays particularly for schools are designed with the idea of creating a fun and memorable experience for those taking part and these concessions to safety and practicality are little noticed within the display.
How do I book you?
Just give us a call or send us an e-mail. All information is on the 'Contact us' page on this website.
Are you insured?
Yes, Discovering Medieval are fully insured for up to £5,000000 but we take the utmost care to ensure that our displays and talks whilst being fun are completely safe. A certificate of insurance and risk assesments can be provided upon request.
What does my school need to do to prepare for a medieval display?
We have produced guidelines on what to do to prepare for a medieval display. There are guidelines for Keystage one, Keystage 3 and GCSE.
Do you have CRB disclosures?
Yes. Both key members of Discovering Medieval have enhanced CRB disclosures, which can be provided on request.
 What areas do you cover?
We cover the whole of the South East and East Anglia including the following: Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, Lincolnshire, Kent, Surrey, Hertfordshire, Cambridgeshire, London and some parts of Northamptonshire. We will travel to areas outside of this area, particularly or historic sites but an additional charge will need to be made. We are based currently in North Essex so this area is the closest for us to travel to.
For a school visit, what is the maximum number of children per session?
This depends on which display you are hiring us for. All our displays are interactive so the number per display is limited to ensure the displays are as hands on as possible. The maximum for GCSE is 30 (3 or 4 displays a day), the maximum for Keystage 3 is 60 (2 displays a day) and for primaries the groups are usually quite small but please speak to us for further info.
 Is the fake food you use safe?
Yes, all our food is very high quality fake food and completely non toxic. It's also very durable and quite hard to break. The company who make it supply the food to use in schools in education packages.
How much space do you need?
This depends on whether you're hiring us for a school or historic site display. For schools there are guidelines on each displays information page. For historic sites it depends if we are setting up inside or out and how manyd displays you'd like and if we need to bring our authentic tent. Please ask for details.
What about risk assesments
Risk assesments for all our displays can be provided upon request. Please contact Paul Viall for details.
 How much do you cost?
The price is dependent on what you are hiring us for, how far we have to travel and whether you'd like to book us for more than one event. Please visit the relevant section of the website for further information:
Film work, Fetes & Fayres, Museums & historical sites, schools.
I'd like to hire you to come to our school but my budget won't stretch do you have any suggestions?
Yes. Some schools don't have money spare in the budget to hire us and charge the children on a per head basis. Somewhere between £3.75 to 5.00 per head should be sufficient for most schools to cover our charge. Don't forget that If you hire us in rather than having an external visit you can save on the cost and hassle of arranging travel, hiring adequate staff for your day out and substitute teachers to teach their classes whilst they're away and any other additional expenses involved with this. If you'd like to hire us but are uncertain about cost, please contact one of our members of staff to have an informal chat and we'll come up with some options. If you're a particularly small school with less than 60 children, please call and have a chat and we'll accomodate you in our pricings as best we can. It may be possible for us to send one member of the group and arrange a smaller show.
 Can we film and photograph you during the display
We don't mind photographs being taken but we do not allow filming of our displays by schools or historic sites. This includes using phones to video us, which is particularly distracting, especially if played back to you during the middle of a display!
I'd like to bring the local press in to take some photos and write an article about the day, is this ok?
Yes certainly, they may take photos for an article and include details about the day as long as they do not disrupt the display too much. Please do not allow them to wander off with display items during the middle of a display as we will need to supervise and we have to ensure items are used safely. The press are more concerned with getting a good photo for their paper than whether an item is being used safely. Please mention our company name to the paper.
What happens if I cancel a display once I have signed and returned a contract.
Please note that we charge a cancellation fee if you cancel a booking after signing our contract. This will be 10% if more than 30 days before the first date of the display or 50% if 30 days or less prior to the first date of the display. This is because we may have had to turn away other work for the date you have booked and we may not be able to refill the date at such short notice. Please therefore do no pit us against other activities on an acivity week. Given the choice of Alton Towers or another day staying in school, most would chose going out, however exciting the day would be! We are an educational tool, suitable for any time of year, not just for activities weeks.
How far in advance can I book you?
It depends what time of year you are booking us for. December and February are quiet months but Spring and Summer are our busy period and make book up to a year in advance.
To contact us, please replace (at) with the @ symbol:
How do I contact you?
You can contact us by phone or e-mail:
Karen Hamilton-Viall (Schools):
Tel: 07910 264735
e-mail: karen(at)discoveringmedieval.co.uk
Paul Hamilton-Viall (Museums & historical sites/ Fetes & Fayres and Film work):
Tel: 07795 312420
e-mail: info(at)discoveringmedieval.co.uk
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