30 V i s i t www.theculturalexperience.com C a l l 0345 475 1815 17 th & 18 th Century XXX XXX THE XXX THE XXXE XXXE XXX NGLISH CIVIL WAR M XXX M XXX ARST XXX ARST XXX ON MOOR AND THE WAR HE WAR HE W IN THE NORTH - During this tour of the north of England we travel through many of its beautiful counties: Lancashire, Yorkshire and Cheshire and enjoy wonderful scenery during the (hopefully) lovely summertime. We will visit some iconic battlefields of the English Civil War such as Marston Moor and Rowton Heath, wander the narrow cobbled streets of historic York and Chester, clamber over or walk around romantic ruined castles and visit the recently opened National Civil War Centre. The tour is led by Col Nick Lipscombe who will shortly be releasing his much anticipated English Civil War Atlas, the research for which forms the basis for many of our excursions and talks during this tour. 1 – 6 July 2019 1 – 6 July 2019 1 – 6 July 2019 1 – 6 July 2019 1 – 6 July 2019 1 – 6 July 2019 1 – 6 July 2019 1 – 6 July 2019 1 – 6 July 2019 6 days with Col Nick Lipscombe with Col Nick Lipscombe with Col Nick Lipscombe with Col Nick Lipscombe with Col Nick Lipscombe with Col Nick Lipscombe Activity Level 2 Activity Level 2 ESSENTIALS 3 and 4 star hotels, buffet breakfast, 3-course dinner with drinks each evening, all entrance fees and expert guide throughout. Tour price: £1895 Single supplement: £220 Deposit: £175 By the end of 1643 there had been no decisive achievement by either side, but an alliance towards the end of that year by the Parliamentarians with the battle- hardened army of the Scottish Covenanters considerably altered the dynamics in the north of the country. Within months the Royalist army had been decisively beaten at Marston Moor and their stronghold of York would fall two weeks later. Events then swung northwest where they fared little better for the Royalists, having been driven off at ff at ff Rowton Heath. To all intents and purposes, the north was lost to the King. Churchill, in his History of the English Speaking Peoples, wrote of the English Civil War that ‘underlying the apparently clear cut constitutional issue was a religious and class conflict’. Suggesting that one of the main drivers was based on class and material considerations is both misleading and unhelpful; yet this vision of the wars as David rising up against Goliath pervades. It was simply not the case. In the English Civil War brother fought against brother, and father met son. Nothing has imprinted itself so deeply on the nation’s memory as the national civil struggle of the mid seventeenth-century. Day 1 – S ieges of Newark. Assemble at our Newark hotel at noon for a sandwich lunch and pre-tour briefing. We discuss the three sieges of the town by Parliamentary forces, its final surrender not being until after that of Charles I himself. We will visit the National Civil War Centre with its fascinating exhibits from the sieges and the war in general. Check in for one night. Day 2 – Winceby, Gainsborough and York. This morning we look at events of 1643 with Royalist forces skilfully outmanoeuvred and soundly defeated by Parliamentarians at both Winceby and Gainsborough. Thence to Pontefract Castle, described by Cromwell as "one of the strongest inland garrisons in the kingdom." Our day ends in the beautiful city of York to recount the great Parliamentary siege of 1644 which, although relieved by Prince Rupert after 10 weeks, fell days after Marston Moor. Check in to our hotel for one night. Day3–MarstonMoor,Knaresboroughand Skipton. We spend the morning exploring the field of the decisive battle of Marston Moor and see where the Roundheads released their surprise attack, the confused fighting area which ended in the complete rout of the Cavaliers and the capitulation of Royalist strength in the north. This afternoon we visit Knaresborough Castle, taken by Royalists in 1644, and then Skipton Castle which surrendered in late 1645. Check in to our hotel for one night. Day 4 – P reston and Rowton Heath. At Preston we explore the battlefield where in 1648, an infiltrated Scottish-Royalist force was defeated by the New Model Army over two days. This afternoon we visit Rowton Heath where, in 1645 Charles I was thwarted in his attempt to save the key city of Chester. Check in to our Chester hotel for one night. Day 5 – Chester, Nantwich and Beeston. We explore the lovely city of Chester with its extant city walls which bore the brunt of numerous Parliamentarian attempts to capture this key Royalist stronghold. At Nantwich we see how a Royalist force under Lord Byron failed to capture the town and was subsequently defeated by Fairfax’s army. Finally we climb high above the Cheshire Plain to visit the romantic and impressively sited Beeston Castle which served as a Royalist garrison for most of the war. Check in to our Stafford hotel for one night. fford hotel for one night. ff Day 6 – H opton Heath. Explore the field of the inconclusive battle of Hopton Heath fought in 1643, often remembered for the appearance of ‘Roaring Meg’, the largest mortar of the Civil War. Return to Newark mid- afternoon and disperse. "I thought the English Civil War tour was outstanding and I loved the explanation provided by Nick Lipscombe on the battlefields"