ALTON’S Curtis Museum will play host on Saturday to an Anglo-Saxon Festival.

Running from 10.30am to 4pm, the free festival will feature Weorod, a living history group, who will set up their colourful encampment in the War Memorial gardens alongside the museum.

Weorod are a group of specialist costumed, historical interpreters who are passionate about bringing the early Anglo-Saxon period to life at events such as this throughout the year.

Based in Portsmouth, Weorod aim to inspire interest in the sixth and seventh centuries, including a focus on crafts and technologies, replica artefacts, Anglo-Saxon burial, and weapons demonstrations.

Weorod leader Wayne Letting said: “We are excited to be returning to the Curtis Museum for the Anglo-Saxon Festival. We will bring our craft and technology displays, as well as our replica artefacts. There will be timed displays throughout the day looking at what we can learn from the local archaeology, either through the status represented by specific artefacts or through an individual burial itself.

“With demonstrations all day long, it promises to be an exciting event.”

The Curtis Museum houses the single finest artefact from Anglo-Saxon times within the Hampshire collection in the shape of the Alton Buckle. The buckle was excavated during the construction of housing at Mount Pleasant Road, where the importance of the finds have triggered a number of archaeological investigations in the area over the years.

Mr Letting continued: “Visiting the Curtis Museum is always one of the highlights of our calendar. We always receive a great reception from visitors, many staying much of the day or popping back during the event for our presentations.

“We are constantly developing our displays, so even if you have visited the festival before there will be lots of new things to see.”