Tudors: Life, Falconry and Folk
3 to 6 April 2026
Be transported back in time to the Tudor era this Easter Bank Holiday weekend and have a unique insight into the lives and skills of the period.
Get up close to some incredible birds of prey and enjoy a thrilling, educational display that the whole family will love.
Meet the re-enactors and discover the lives and skills of the Tudor era.
An immersive and engaging living history experience for all ages. Whether you are a history enthusiast or simply looking for a fun day out, this Easter day out is not to be missed.
Flying Shows & Historical Falconry Displays
Watch displays of falconry flying in the arena and be thrilled by the hunting skills of these amazing birds or prey.
Visit the falconer’s encampment and discover the sport and passion of Henry VIII who used the power of falconry for personal gain, and the community of lower classes who made a living from it.
Meet the Man at Arms and Try on Tudor Armour
Discover Life in the Tudor Era
Alongside the falconry displays, we’ll be joined by living history group The Companye of Merrie Folke and individual re-enactors with a passion for Tudor life.
Explore the tools of the barber/surgeon, learn the craft of the basket maker and loom weaver, try on armour of the era with the man-at-arms and meet the “cunning man” skilled in the preserving of skins.
On Good Friday and Easter Saturday you can also learn about historical navigation & shipping and how the Tudor era marked England’s shift from a regional power to a global trading nation.
Step Into The White Horse Inn
On Easter Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday the expert re-enactors from History Re-enactment Workshop are inviting you to step inside ‘The White Horse Inn’. Based on an original Tudor establishment, historical documents including will and inventory transcripts and Tudor family tree information has been used to set the scene.
Step Into the Past with Our Annual Memberships
Get unlimted daytime entry to the Museum for a whole year
Historical Falconry in the Chilterns
Falconry was very much part of elite Tudor life, and there were several grand houses and prominent families in and around the Chilterns who would almost certainly have practised or patronised it. The Chiltern landscape (woodland edges, open downland, deer parks) was ideal for hawking.
Chenies Manor, just a few miles from the Museum, was a major royal stopover where hawking and hunting would have been expected activities during royal visits.
Not “just a noble pastime”, falconry would have supported a small rural economy in the Chilterns. Gamekeepers and estate staff would manage woodland and protect nests. Skilled servants training, flying, feeding and transporting birds. Many craftspeople were also linked to falconry such as leatherworkers, bell-founders and carpenters.
Meet the Re-enactors
The Companye of Merrie Folk have been entertaining visitors to living history events since 2009. They are committed to re-enact in the most authentic way possible, thoroughly researching how their chosen characters would have lived and worked.
The Companye or some of its members are also involved in television and film work including Horrible Histories, Elizabeth 1 & 2, The Reformation, From Power to Peasantry, The Message of Lourdes, The Private Lives of the Tudors, and Henry VIII and The Kings Men, The Passion of St Edmund Campion, to name but a few.
Historical Re-enactment Workshop are a small but nationally based interpretation group covering Tudor and Stuart domestic life.
Event Information
This is a Premium Admission Day
Free entry for COAM Annual Members
Activities take place between 11am and 4pm
Live Falcon Flying Demonstrations (weather permitting)
There will be a disabled viewing area in the arena
General Museum Information
With 45 acres at your disposal, there is plenty to explore, including woodlands and an exciting adventure playground
Dogs on short leads are welcome but must not go inside residential buildings
Light lunches, drinks, cakes and snacks are available to purchase from our Skippings Barn
Sensory backpacks are available to borrow (subject to availability)
Mobility scooters are available to borrow (subject to availability - pre-booking is advised)
Lots of free parking
Photography and filming may take place during this event for the Museum archives and publicity. These photographs and video footage may appear in promotional or educational materials including on our websites, social media pages, newsletters, or in newspapers and magazines. If you do not wish to be photographed, please speak to the photographer.