In the field: at Chalke History Festival

Charlotte Crow reports on MRT’s debut at the Chalke History Festival this summer, an event which left us highly stimulated with new friendships, fresh ideas and a keen determination to return.

The Chalke History Festival has established itself as one of the most distinctive gatherings in the British cultural calendar: talks, panels and conversations held in a giant marquees, drawing speakers and audiences united by a genuine enthusiasm for the latest thinking and ideas. I had always wanted MRT to be there, and it was exciting to cement a new partnership.

Graham Horner, our CEO, joined us for our sponsored talk before travelling on to our Rhine Piano Festival; over the next five days each member of the Marketing team attended at some point, a bonding experience for us all.

As Kent Pringle, MRT Brand & Campaigns Manager, observed: “There’s something wonderful about being deep in the Wiltshire countryside, songbirds and lowing cattle giving way to the hubbub of a thousand history enthusiasts gathered together.”

Choosing our sponsored talk wasn’t difficult. Tom Holland needs little introduction as one of Britain’s most widely read popular historians, while Paul Cartledge – Professor Emeritus of Greek Culture at Cambridge – is among the foremost authorities on the ancient Greek world. A conversation between them on the life and legacy of Pericles, timed to spotlight Paul’s new book, was an excellent fit given our range of Classical tours. Having worked with both before on MRT’s history symposia, introducing them to an audience of nearly 500 was an added pleasure.

Our presence confirmed something we have long felt: that the people who travel with us, and the people who might, are not defined by a single interest but by a quality of curiosity. Across the festival, we met prospective clients whose enthusiasms ranged beyond history into art, architecture, music and the wider cultural world – the terrain MRT has navigated for nearly four decades. Some had travelled with us before; some knew our name but had never taken the plunge; some were encountering us for the first time. The conversations, in every case, were warm and substantive.

The wider programme offered plenty beyond our own evening. Katja Hoyer on Weimar Germany, Philip Mould on Churchill the painter and Dr Melanie Giles on bog bodies were varied highlights of a characteristic Chalke mix: subjects and speakers familiar to us, others opening new doors. It was a pleasure to catch up with Charles Saumarez Smith, who leads our Vanbrugh’s Greatest Houses tour, on a panel marking the tercentenary of Vanbrugh’s death – a timely encounter given the tour’s departure the following week.

For Katy Schramm, Senior Marketing Executive, the breadth of the programme was the revelation: “The range of topics and speakers was inspiring and got us all thinking about new topics and destinations we could add to our tour programme,” she says. “I was particularly excited to hear some of the younger female speakers, including Hannah Lucinda Smith on Europe’s Unfinished Frontiers – very relevant and timely given current events.”

Anthony Beevor drew the crowds you’d expect; the less widely known speakers proved as compelling. Valentin Boulan, our Digital Manager, was particularly struck by a Sunday panel on the complexities of Second World War remembrance. “It was a powerful reminder that beyond facts and figures, history is often fluid, layered, and even deeply personal,” he reflects. “The panel – bringing together descendants of both Allied and Axis generals – illustrated this paradox with striking clarity. Their conversation showed how memory, identity, and inherited narratives can coexist in tension, yet still open space for understanding.”

Alice Bzowska, Marketing Executive, spent much of the festival behind a camera, documenting the days extensively for MRT’s social channels. “It was great fun to experience the jolly spirit of the Chalke History Festival,” she says. “From musicians performing on ancient instruments to dedicated re-enactors bringing the past to life, I enjoyed soaking up the festival’s unique atmosphere.”

To find out more about our partnership with Chalke History Festival, please visit https://www.martinrandall.com/about/partnerships. Details of our partnership next year will be released in due course.

You can also find browse a curated selection of our upcoming history tours below.