Head to the Wild West of Essex this bank holiday

When: 24th – 26th May 2014

Where: Royal Gunpowder Mills, Beaulieu Drive, Waltham Abbey, Essex EN9 1JY

£: Admission costs £9.50 for adults, £8.50 for concessions, £7.50 for children (3 – 15 years) and children under 3 years go free.

What is it?

Go back in time to see what life was like in a Wild West frontier mining town on the border of Texas and Mexico this bank holiday weekend.  Royal Gunpowder Mills in Essex will be holding a Wild West Weekend for the whole family to ride on down to.

All the characters you would expect to see will be there and with gold fever in the air it won’t be long before the six shooters come out to settle old scores.  It is also a unique opportunity to see the real guns that won the west in the Royal Gunpowder Mills extensive armoury collection.

Laredo, a wild west living history troupe, are heading to the Royal Gunpowder Mills to show the young varmints how do things wild western style.  Recreating an authentic Wild West outpost there are plenty of opportunities to get involved with townsfolk and even pan for gold.  In the Mad Lab ‘Doc Nitrate’ Professor Nitrate’s long lost cousin will be rootin’, tootin’ and trying out some newfangled technology.

Also on display from the armoury will be some of the guns that ‘won the west’.  Little partners will be able to get close up to a Colt 45, Winchester rifle and Allen & Wheelock sidehammer; as well as seeing a selection of weapons from other eras.

On Sunday and Monday afternoon witness a large scale gunfight with pyrotechnic explosions and fast past action as Mexican re-enactors try and raid the town of Nuevo Lardeo for gold.

Audience participation is part of the event so come dressed as cowboy, cowgirl or a native American Indian, and enter into the world of Lardeo.  Talk to the townsfolk and visit the General Store, Bath House, Land Registry, Mining Depot and Saloon.  There will be prizes for the best dressed entrants and gold mining right deeds for all participants.

Set in 170 acres of natural parkland, Royal Gunpowder Mills mixes secret history, exciting science and beautiful surroundings to produce a different day out for all the family.  Visitors can trace the history of explosives in an audio-visual show, uncover the truth behind the infamous Gunpowder Plot, come face to face with some real space rockets and get to grips with more than 200 firearms ranging from rocket launchers to machine guns in the armoury.

More info: www.royalgunpowdermills.com