Leeds Castle’s Official Horrible Histories Trail: A Measly Medieval Mission

About

Dark Knights of Leeds Castle, gear up for your next official Horrible Histories® mission this May Half Term! From Tuesday 27 May to Sunday 1 June, join us for A Measly Medieval Mission – a hilariously horrible romp through history, inspired by the bestselling Horrible Histories books by Terry Deary and Martin Brown, published by Scholastic.

Step back to the year 1278, where Queen Eleanor of Castile faces a royal disaster. After a fierce battle, her husband, King Edward I, is struck by a poisoned dagger. With the King’s life on the line, the brave Queen leaps into action to save him and now she needs your help.

Your Measly Mission Awaits

Join us as you dive into a time filled with dreadful diseases, potent poisons, and astonishingly absurd cures. Listen to spine-tingling tales of treacherous treatments, then gather your wild ideas to create your own concoction at the Castle Apothecary. As a token of gratitude for your valiant contributions to ‘modern’ medicine, receive a special gift from Queen Eleanor!

During your adventure, you’ll collect wonderfully weird ideas for your own curious cure, inspired by the revolting remedies you discover along the way. You’ll encounter:

🦠 Dreadful Diseases and Creative Cures: Will you concoct a bruise remedy using a plaster of bacon fat mixed with wild boar’s grease? (Caution: you might end up with more bruises from tussling with the boar!) Or maybe you’ll fix a stuffy nose with the smoke of burnt feathers – just make sure they’re not still attached to the chicken! Oh, and for gout, how about a plaster made with goat droppings, rosemary, and honey?  

🧪 Measly Medieval Medicine Storytelling & Groovy Gruesome Games: Take to the Pavilion Lawn for uproarious tales and activities.

⚔️ Nice for Knights, Horrible for Horses, & Piteous for Peasants: Discover what life was like during medieval times.

🏰 Our Crackin’ Castle: Be on the lookout for our horribly infamous poo hole!

🐦‍⬛ Foul Food & Beastly Birds: Find the fluffy woodland creatures that were once a knight’s dinner delight… don’t worry, we’ll let them scurry on their way this time.

Join us for an adventure you won’t forget, filled with hilariously horrific history! Will you survive the Measly Medieval Mission? Come find out at Leeds Castle!

*A trail booklet and prize are available for a small contribution of £2.50. The trail booklet grants entrance to the Castle Apothecary for the craft activity and includes a gold coin reward from the Queen.