Workshops coming to Westenhanger Castle this half term

25 May 2021

A series of family-friendly workshops will take place at Westenhanger Castle this June half term as part of a community outreach project to encourage learning about the history and heritage of the Otterpool Park site.

The free event, called Telling the Otterpool Tale, will be run by Strange Cargo, a local participatory arts organisation.

Open to people of all ages but expected to be popular with families, attendees will be able to learn more about the history of the Otterpool Park site, including the racecourse, castle and Roman Villa. There will be opportunities to make a heritage-inspired craft activity to take home, such as a winner’s rosette, a medal or a Tudor headdress, and the whole family can join in to imagine themselves as a jockey, station porter, Fair Rosamund or a Roman soldier at our heritage selfie wall.

An open day is also being planned at Westenhanger Castle this summer, where people can learn more about its history and take part in artist-led workshops.

Andy Jarrett from Otterpool Park LLP said, “Celebrating and protecting the site’s heritage is a really important part of what we are all about, and we want to provide opportunities for people to access and be part of that history.

“We are inviting people to come and learn more about the people, happenings and rich story of the site, and have a bit of fun creating their own piece of art to take home.”

Brigitte Orasinski from Strange Cargo, which aims to encourage participation in art, said, “Strange Cargo is really delighted to be working at Otterpool to share some of the intriguing and little-known histories of the site. Our artist team is looking forward to meeting lots of local people at the workshops.”

The workshops take place at Westenhanger Castle on 1 and 3 June 2021 from 11am – 3pm.

In July, three further events at local village halls and Westenhanger Castle will take place, on the following dates:

• 3 July, Sellindge Village Hall from 12pm – 4pm
• 10 July Lympne Village Hall from 11am – 3pm
• 17 July Westenhanger Castle from 11am – 3pm.

All the events have been planned to be Covid-safe, and as such, some queuing may be required during busy periods. Attendees are asked to bring a face mask unless they have a medical exemption or are under the age of 11.