I always look forward to the Chalke Valley History Festival, but this year will be even more special because I will be talking about The King’s Witch, my debut novel, which is set just a stone’s throw away at Longford Castle.

Christopher Lloyds Interview - video

This year we played host to thousands of Year 6, 10 and 12 pupils from all over the country for 3 days of 'hands on' history! Blending talks by eminent historians with interactive living history and demonstrations, this is a crucial part of what we do at the festival and we are thrilled to have received such a positive response again this year. Here's a short video with Richard Salmon from Canford School, who sponsored our Year 6 day, talking about why he thinks it is so special. The Year 10 and 12 days are generously sponsored by Rathbone Brothers Plc.

Co-founder of Chalke Valley History Festival, James Heneage, looks ahead to the action-packed weekend at this year's festival, picking out some of the most eye-catching highlights from the extensive programme of speakers and Living History displays.

Recording from Stephen Alford’s talk, ‘The Watchers: Spies & Espionage in the Reign of Elizabeth I’ for CVHF, Tuesday 25th June. In this gripping talk, Stephen Alford tells the story of Elizabeth’s spies, code breakers, ambassadors and confidence-men, who battled constantly throughout her reign to protect their queen. For while she was a ruler who radiated power and purpose, most of Europe, from the Pope to Philip II, conspired to destroy her. Her reign required endless watchfulness - of the coasts, of the Catholic seminaries, of Elizabeth’s own subjects. The stakes could not have been higher: priests coming secretly ashore were hunted down and executed, and assassination plots, real and imagined, sprung up everywhere. Drawing on extraordinary secret files, Stephen Alford brings to life this shadow world, where nobody could be trusted and where a single mistake could have changed England’s history drastically. This is a dark, surprising and utterly compelling talk of an extraordinary reign.