TAKE A STEP BACK IN TIME

No one brings our nation's heritage back to life better than the National Trust

- by MATT NIXSON

ONCE the preserve of small groups of military re-enactors, a growing interest in the past has seen a boost in the popularity of living history groups, as ordinary Brits spend weekends or holidays having fun and dressing and living like their ancestors.

As the National Trust prepares to take part in the annual Festival of Archaeology later this month, sites around the country are finding exciting new ways to bring the past to life with reenactments, displays and the chance for visitors to try their hand at bygone ways of life.

More than 70 Trust properties are taking part in the festival, with excavations, displays, walks, talks and storytelling to keep the family entertained.

EVEN after a millennium of history, Corfe Castle continues to reveal its secrets.

Only last year, archaeologists uncovered a hidden "sallyport" an archway once used by Parliamentarian forces to breach the Royalist stronghold during the English Civil War. That daring infiltration led to the dramatic ruins visitors see today.

Throughout the castle's history, stone-masonry and blacksmithing skills were vital, and at this year's festival, visitors can witness these ancient crafts in action.