Wigton Viking settlement set to host ancient crafts festival

The Moorforge Viking Settlement is located at Gilcrux, near Wigton on land owned by local blacksmith David Watson, and will host its second crafts festival between Saturday, May 4, and Monday, May 6 after a successful debut in 2023. 

The settlement is also a popular destination for school trips and reenactment enthusiasts. 

The festival, which is set to include over 20 craftspeople, will showcase ancient techniques such as woodturning and tablet weaving. 

It will also feature a folk jam session on Saturday, May 4 with locals invited to grab their instruments and get involved.

Ash Harrison is one of the festival's organisers and gave more detail about what the event is set to feature. 

He said: "There is quite a lot of ancient technology Viking-age crafts stuff but we have also got some contemporary and a bit more modern crafts stuff.

"We have got everything from metalworkers to woodturners and jewellery makers, basket weavers, glass blowers, and a bunch of different Viking-age textile stuff such as tablet weaving.

"There is a broad range of different crafts and it is leaning into the reenactment side so we will have people in their traditional Viking-age dress with their tents.

"The whole idea was to have it so they can display them doing the crafts and speak to the public and sell their wares but very sort of interactive."

Ash also discussed how the crafts event is the perfect way for people to experience firsthand and connect with the history of their local area.

He said: "It is so people can step back in time a little bit and especially with the venue, having this old Viking-age forge and we have got the two long houses and there is an outdoor workshop with carved wood posts.

"It is just getting people interested and making sure that these techniques are not lost and getting people interested in the local history of the area.