an added bonus is that it is located just off oxford street so you can get some shopping in while you are there.

As for buying a bow, you'll be lucky! most of the bowyers in the uk work to order unless you go to one of the markets at either oxford(March) or cressing temple(june NR london)I can give you contact details for some bowyers if you like.

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Although not strickly medieval, the Globe and its museum are not to be missed. They have a lot of artifacts and living-history type stuff from everyday life in Shakespeare's time. My favorite thingamabob in the museum was the wood lathe, just because of the sheer resourcefulness of its design.

If you go to the Wallace collection, you will almost certainly be able to meet David Edge. If you've never spoken with him before, be forewarned that he is super-friendly and elated to discuss armour with you until the cows come home. You'll probably leave with his work phone and personal email address as well.

Warwick is cool, but prepare to cringe as the "knight" tells how each of finger gauntlets weighs 5 lbs. It's very entertaining, but I'm sure you'll keep in mind that since it's run by Madame Toussoud's and not English Heritage, it's mostly entertainment.

I spent a month last summer in the UK studying abroad, and I have to say that most of the cool history stuff is actually outside of London, like Old Sarum fort near Salisbury or Bath Abbey.

I think that if you did a searh on UK living history, you could find all kinds of living history events going on in or arounf London.

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If you're in london, you should try to hit the museum of london and the british museum, at the expense of the V&A if necessary - either will have more for your period, and are frankly better museums anyway. If you want medieval art, the national gallery (off trafalgar square) has a good collection.

There are plenty of other things, but it's worth concentrating on a few, rather than trying to see a lot of the small ones first time out.

As Ben (Caliburnus) says, a lot of the better-preserved medieval stuff is outside London - much of medieval london goes up in smoke in the great fire. Hampton court is close enough to get to from London, and well worth a visit, otherwise, it depends on how willing/able to travel around the UK you are.

quote:

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cressing temple(june NR london)

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Cressing Temple Fayre is actually 11 and 12 May this year (2002)

Gina

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Yes Oxford=Blackbird Lees!

I tend to call it oxford because i know what Blackbird Lees is like.. Not the kind of place i'd choose to vist.

Neil... Did you just give my secret identity away... we have much to discuss young man, possibly at poleaxe point....

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I didn't know your identity was supposed to be a secret.

OK, if I was you, I wouldn't admit it either, but that's a separate point....

Anyway, you're going to have to actually turn up and make good on those threats at some point you know!

However if you are interested in Medieval archery then you really ought to go to the Mary Rose exhibition at Portsmouth. This is a bit of a hike from central London but not too bad by train.

Although the Mary Rose is C16th the archery equipment is well worth looking at how to get a real idea of what a true war bow or arrow looks like.

Also across the water is Portchester Castle ... best preserved Saxon Shore Fort (i.e. late Roman) with Norman Castle in the corner. Used for mustering troops (possibly including Henry V's for Agincourt campaign ... but more likely Southampton despite what the booklet says)

As for the Museum of London ... yes do go there. You can try to arrange to see some of the draws full of 'other finds' if you e-mail them nicely. I've found them helpful, esp. if you can narrow down the topic a bit ... e.g. horse fittings or purse bars (these are worth looking at as the construction is painfully obvious in 'the flesh' and never appears so in pictures).

The V&A is a must if you want to see the Devonshire tapestry but otherwise it is a bit limited for C15th but fantastic generally.

The National Gallery (Sainsbury wing) is well worth the effort as the paintings are magnificent and you'll see constructional detail you can't see in any book or scanned image.

Walace has some fantastic C15th arms & armour ... but not as much as you think ... most is later. However there's also a very nice ivory saddle etc.

Don't write-off York too quickly. There is more to York than Barley Hall. You could go by night train spend the day and return late that night. York is a beautiful City (and I'm a dyed-in-the-wool Southerner) and the City and Castle musuems have medieval artifacts as well.

A hint ... find the Museums' Web site ... send a nice a polite message about more details on specific topics and that you are visiting on such and such a day and do they have anything in their 'reserve' collections etc and they'll often be only too glad to let you look at these and maybe handle the items.

The Mary Rose finds are fascinating but do remember they are mid c16th rather than c15th ... however the arrow and bow chests may well be similar to C15th examples and the arrow spacer does match the C17th pic of a 'medieval' arrow bag ...

If you are really into thew archery side of things then personally I'd head north to Yorkshire ... York & Leeds (Royal Armouries). Also just down the road from Leeds (15min drive) there is a small village with a little church ... inside that church is possibly the only surviving c15th Jack. ot quite like the pics in Memling etc. It's hard to see but if you're there and have the time (??!!)