Robert Hardy visited the Longbow Shop on May 2015 which is a date everyone will remember for a very long time to come and a high point for the UK's largest traditional archery shop based in Birkenhead.
The Longbow Shop had the privilege of hosting a day with the legendary actor, author and longbow expert Robert Hardy CBE who enthralled over 100 guests, sharing his amazing experiences and knowledge about longbows and the famous battles they were used in while keeping the enthusiastic crowd of people (archers and non-archers alike) spellbound and hanging on every word.Mr Hardy gave insights into his time as the only person allowed to care for and study the longbows from The Mary Rose renovating them over many years and also about his time as special advisor to English Heritage on their battle sites. We were also treated with anecdotes from his TV and film career and the whole day was delivered with lashings of humour, wit and charm forever fuelled with a never-ending passion and a twinkle in his eye. The queue for the book signing at the end of the day was fantastic. I think everyone would agree Mr Hardy was a total joy to be with and the time went very quickly indeed. As a Director of the shop I feel very grateful for the opportunity to meet him and hear him talking about his lifelong love of the longbow – why this man is not knighted is beyond me he's certainly earned it!
A very special talk from a very special person.
There is a great range of images from the day on our Facebook page - pop over and see Robert Hardy in full swing here.
About the Longbow
The longbow has a distinguished history. It became a weapon of war following King Harold’s defeat at the Battle of Hastings in 1066. During the 16th Century, societies dedicated to the bow and arrow emerged to satisfy the demand for competition, with modern target archery dating to the 18th Century. The Society of Archers at Scorton was formed in 1673 and its annual tournament for the Ancient Silver Arrow is still contested today.
