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Twenty-nine years
ago, England’s Medieval Festival (the Festival) at Herstmonceux Castle
(the Castle) was begun by Clive Geisler an alumnus of Queen’s University
Canada (Queen’s) and his wife Gilly, at the request of the then
Principal of Queen’s, Dr. David Smith. The Festival was given the
wholehearted endorsement and support of Alfred and Isabelle Bader who
purchased the Castle for Queen’s in order to host an International Study
Centre. The Baders actively supported the Festival from the first
opening, and by attending the Festival in any year they were in the UK
at their home in Bexhill-on-Sea. The Festival was needed to integrate a
Canadian University into the fabric of the local community, and to
friend-raise and fund raise for the study centre. For 29 years, the
Festival raised, both directly and indirectly for the Castle and school,
hundreds of thousands of pounds, and a similar number of friends. The
Festival’s longevity broke the generation gap with families who attended
the Festival as children later bringing their own children. Queen’s
students came from all over the world to work at the Festival and take
part through their medieval studies. The Festival was a living event
where people grew up, fell in love and were even married. Trees were
planted in the grounds by the families and friends in memory of loved
ones who devoted their lives to the Castle and the Festival.
The Festival is the longest running, and
largest international Medieval themed event in the UK, and the only
continuously running event held at the Castle. The plan to have the
Festival was agreed with the local council in the first planning
application for the change of use of the Castle and grounds. A major
influence was to give the Castle the ability to host such events for the
community to enjoy. The Festival became integral to Sussex life as an
annual focus with participants attending each year to celebrate English
history on the grounds of a 15th Century moated castle with a history
dating back to Roman times. It became a tremendous source of pride to
host such a prestigious international event at the Castle. The Festival
proudly boasted that it was open rain or shine and would never close.
Even under the extreme uncertainty caused by the Covid pandemic, and
with great cost and effort, the organisers, The Malcolm Group Events Ltd
(MGEL) were able to continue to hold an event at the Castle for two
years when hundreds of other events closed their doors disappointing
their customers during the UK lockdown. In doing so, MGEL maintained the
Festival’s continuity and honoured their contract and pledge as Queen’s
alumni to support the Bader Dream.
This spring with no notice and without
any discussion with MGEL, the management at the Bader International
Study Centre (the BISC) who own and operate the Castle, dropped a
bombshell decision: their refusal to host the 30th edition of the annual
Festival which they publicised via their own social media. MGEL made
every effort to communicate with the BISC and find a solution to run the
30th anniversary Festival at the Castle in any form or scale that would
be suitable to the BISC. MGEL even hired a professional to negotiate a
solution, but to no avail. The BISC would not respond to any
correspondence. Any reasons they gave in their social media press
release for cancelling the hosting of the Festival became moot when they
hosted another well attended event this spring on the very same grounds
that the Festival would have used in August. MGEL finds that the actions
by the BISC have been utterly incomprehensible.
In an effort to find an alternative host for
the Festival, so as not to disappoint the many supporters of the
Festival and the Castle, an extensive search has been undertaken
throughout the South of England but all venues were either already
booked for August Bank Holiday weekend or were just not suitable at this
late date to host such an event.
In short, the Festival has been an integral
part of the Castle, and the Castle has been an integral part of the
Festival.
Since Queen’s University Canada and Bader
International Study Centre are totally and absolutely unwilling to
discuss or negotiate hosting a festival or event in any size, shape or
form on their Herstmonceux Castle property this year, MGEL has been left
with no option but to formally cancel this much-loved international
Festival for 2022.
The Geisler family spent most of their working
lives building this Festival event, and made extensive sacrifices to put
it on each year. “I would personally on behalf of my wife and family
like to thank all the thousands of Friends, Family, Alumni, Participants
and Public Visitors who have travelled annually from across the UK and
around the world to support the BISC and this truly iconic Medieval
Festival that helped put Herstmonceux Castle back on the map’, said
Clive M. Geisler, Managing Director of The Malcolm Group Events Ltd and
Queen’s University Arts and Science Alumnus (Class of 1986). There is
currently a search for a new full-time Executive Director of the BISC
(now Bader College). We are hopeful that the incoming Executive
Director, The Bader Foundation and the boards of Queen’s University in
Canada and the BISC in the UK will reconsider their position and work
with MGEL to hold England’s Medieval Festival at Herstmonceux Castle in
2023 and beyond, and thereby allow the Festival to continue its mission
to support the Castle.
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