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The Sealed Knot Re-Enactment Society (Southampton)
by Mummy_to_2
Between the years of 1642 and 1651 England was in the grip of civil war, Oliver Cromwell and the Parliamentarians against King Charles 1st and the Royalist army. The civil war was actually made up 3 different wars, these being the 1st 1642-1646, the 2nd 1648-1649 and the 3rd 1649-1651.
The parliamentarian armies eventually won in ... Worchester in 1651 leading to the execution of King Charles 1st, thus establishing the Commonwealth of England.
Enough of the history lesson..............
The Sealed Knot is a re-enactment society based on these wars, and the everyday life for 17th century England.
It was started in 1968 by a group of friends who were keen on wartime history, and now after over 40 years it has over 5000 members from all walks of life.
It is classed as the oldest and biggest re-enactment society in Europe and is also a registered educational charity.
***MEMBERSHIP***
Membership is paid every year for a full season January through to October, or half a season July to October.
Prices as of 2011
Full membership
Family (2+4) - £46.50
Single parent family - £31
Individual - £29
Young person (18-24) - £23
Half Yearly Membership
Family - £23.25
Single parent family - £15.50
Individual - £14.50
Young person - £11.50
Friends of the Knot (UK and Europe) - £12
Friends of the Knot (Rest of world) - £20
Once paid you will receive a quarterly Members magazine 'Orders of the Daye' and your membership cards, if you only have a friends of the knot membership you will only receive the magazine NOT the membership cards.
These cards allow you access to the camp site and also onto the field of battle.
Pets are allowed although should be carefully watched during battle's due to canon fire etc.
***Events***
There can be around 200 events a year, this includes school visits, marches, memorials etc although there are only around 25 actual 'camping' events and sometimes a number of these fall on the same dates. You do not have to attend every single one and can go to as many as you like.
The event calendar usually starts with a 1 day event at the famous 'Nantwich' in January for a memorial service, and ends around October in'Edgehill' with a skirmish and parade, there is also usually a 'major' event lasting around a week and is usually in Scotland.
***Can I choose my own Regiment***
Yes you can, but you have to choose to be Royalist or Roundhead (parliamentarian), although you can choose to be neither and be somewhere in the middle.
The Sealed knot has regimental bases throughout the UK and you will be in the catchments area for possible more than one.
The Royalist army is made up of 5 smaller armies or 'Tertio's' these being -
- Cavalry,
- Oxford army - King's Tertio (3 separate regiments) and Jacob Astley's Tertio (5 separate regiments),
- Lord Hopton's Tertio (7 regiments)
- Marquess of Newcastle Tertio (5 regiments)
And
- Prince Palatine's Tertio (5 regiment's incl Vaughan's (that's my one))
The Parliamentarian army is made up of 5 smaller armies also
- Independent - Parliament Trayne of Artillerie and Sir William Waller's regiment of horse
- Cittie of London Brigade (5 regiments)
- Midland association (3 regiments)
- Northern Association (7 regiments)
And
- Western association (6 regiments)
There is also an army of Ireland and Scotland this consists of
- Colonel Hugh Fraser's regiment of Dragoones
- Colonel William Gordon's regiment of Foote
Colonel Thomas Laghtnans Regiment of Foote
And
Manus o'Canan, His own
Failing that you can join
- Sir Bernard De Gommes companie of pioneers and fir workers
Or
The living history.
Each regiment has their own colours of uniform and you are required to wear them, at all time on the battle field, although you don't have to otherwise.
Living history represents the people who do not use modern things for the duration of the show and basically live and breathe the history all weekend, these are the people that the public generally engage with and learn from.
To go on the battle field you have to be trained in one of 7 roles or 3 un trained these being....
- Pikeman
- Musketeer
- Sergeant
- Drummer
- Ensign (carries the regimental colours)
- Cavalry
Or you can choose to be a civilian, or in the medical service, or a 'behind the scenes' helper.
The sealed knot is a very family orientated society, with lots of families and young children, I find it very educational for my children and they love the sense of excitement and adventure. They don't seem to mind the roar of cannon either!!! There is plenty to do when not re-enacting the camp site has a 'trader's row' selling food, uniform kit, and bits and bobs. Port-a- loos are based all around the camp site also, and finally there is the 'beer tent' this is somewhere to relax and listen to live music, and generally catch up with friends.
Overall it is a brilliant experience and definitely a learning experience!!!
You can find out more info at www.thesealedknot.org.uk
Registered Charity No. 263004.
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Ocean (Nottingham)
by linzeelou
When I came back to university this year back in October, I found out that the Nottingham Trent Uni night had been moved to Ocean, a club I had never been to before. Ocean is well known for Trent students due to it hosting the night for societies on Wednesday nights but not being in one means I didn't go. Just before Christmas, one of my ... flat mates and a friend decided to go on a Saturday night for Trent night and we didn't know what to expect at all.
Seeing as our friend is a student from another university, we got there really early as we knew she wouldn't get in later on - it being a Trent Uni night and all. Doors open to Ocean at 10pm and that is pretty much when we got there. There was no queue because really, no one goes at that time and when we got in, the club was empty apart from us. I didn't mind though as going this early meant free entry (it's £5 after 11pm) and we got to sit down with some drinks and chill out for a while. I found it to be quite nice at this time even though normally I wouldn't do this if I were going out normally.
Having not been to Ocean before, I had no idea of the size but it's pretty big. On the ground floor is 3 bars and a massive dance floor while upstairs has only 1 bar but has quite a lot of seats and tables for those not wanting to dance all night. I guess when you're the only ones in a club then you are able to get a real feel for the size of the place. The club filled up really quickly though and by time it hit 11pm, it will packed! I didn't think it would get that full that quick but it seems people have the same idea about getting in for free.
One thing I loved the most about my night at Ocean was the music. RnB was played for the most of the night but there was also some pop and some cheesy music thrown in there as well. I love a good mix of music that I can dance to, especially when I'm drunk, so this was quite perfect for me. Once the music got turned up none of us strayed from the dance floor much all night. Another good thing is that we were all able to leave each other at some point or another for whatever reason and find everyone again easily. In some clubs if you leave your friends you'll never find them again but not with Ocean.
As far as I'm aware, the only toilets here are upstairs. These were the ones I used because I knew where they were when I was sober and didn't fancy looking for any others once I had been drinking a while. The toilets, for a club full of students, were actually very clean. The girl's toilets had plenty of cubicles and there was never a very long wait time which was fantastic!!
As for drinks, again, I was surprised. I don't drink an awful lot while I'm out as I prefer to drink at home first but bottles of VK were £1.50 which I don't mind paying at all. With Ocean having 4 bars, it never took very long at all to get served either which is always a plus when you're in a really busy club. The bar staff are extremely competent and more than anything I think, want to get people served and moved out of the way as quickly as possible. I can't even begin to imagine the kind of money this place takes in a week.
So, overall, while I was thinking I wouldn't enjoy my night out at Ocean, I did... A lot. It's a great student night with good prices and I'd happily go again now!
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Cornerhouse (Nottingham)
by linzeelou
When I first moved to Nottingham, I didn't know the Cornerhouse even existed let alone what it actually was. I had heard people mention it before but was a bit baffled and didn't think to look into it any further. It wasn't until a friend and I decided to go to the cinema there that I had to figure out where and what it was. ...
You can find the Cornerhouse on the corner of Burton Street and South Sherwood Street in the city centre, not far from the main street which is Parliament Street if you have never been there before. When people talk about the Cornerhouse, sometimes they can be referring to a whole area. Next to the actual building are a lot of restaurants and instead of using a street name, I would normally tell someone to meet me at Cornerhouse.
Inside the actual building you can find a Subway, Chiquitos and the Flaming Dragon. Outside of the building however, there is much more choice. You could go to Nandos, Pizza Hut, TGI Fridays, Tamatanga, The Slug and Lettuce, Bella Italia and more. I love that there is so much choice here for places to eat and no matter how many times I go, I will never get bored of choosing between these restaurants.
The cinema is really what I normally come to the Cornerhouse for. Here you can find a 14 screen Cineworld cinema which is situated over two different floors. The cinema itself is extremely modern, showing the latest films including a wide range in 3D. I don't often go to see any 3D films though due to the prices and the fact that they aren't available on a student 2 for 1 ticket. There are always plenty of films to choose from here and they normally run for a pretty long time. One of the only real problems with this cinema is that there never seem to be many people serving on the tickets counter, even when there are really long lines. I have never seen more than 2 people serving at any one time and usually, there is only one person there. I have never had to wait long to be served for food or drinks though. In the screens, the seats are comfortable and spacious and I really do think it is one of the better cinemas I have been to.
It it's some fun or pampering you're looking to have here, there are also plenty of choices. In the bottom of the Cornerhouse building there is a casino and while I have never been there, I would love to. Casinos are lots of fun if you can manage to limit yourself and only go for a bit of fun. There is also a hair salon if you feel like getting made up or a change in style. Just next door to the main building is the Just The Tonic Comedy club which later on turns into the Forum nightclub. I love going to the Forum on a Monday night which is the student night for Nottingham Trent University. The drinks are cheap and the music is good and I spend most of the night drinking.
As you can see, the Cornerhouse in Nottingham has something to offer everyone and if you haven't been yet, you should do!
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