Robert Hardy to visit Wirral Longbow Shop, marking 600th anniversary of Battle of Agincourt

Mr Hardy will be giving a talk on "The English Longbow" – a subject on which he is regarded as a world authority. He will also be signing copies of his books on the subject.

The renowned actor, who has also appeared in the Harry Potter films and played Winston Churchill on many occasions, has had a lifetime fascination with the Longbow.

Thirty years ago he had a 6ft replica made of one of the original Longbows used by the Anglo-Welsh Army in the Hundred Years’ War at battles such as Crecy and Agincourt.

He has studied the weapon all his life and written books about it.

Mr Hardy, 89, is a patron of the Battlefields Trust and was also a consultant during the raising of the Mary Rose, the Tudor warship.

During the exercise, over 6,000 steel-tipped arrows were discovered as well as 138 longbows which he kept at home under strict security.

He said: “The Longbow was the super weapon of its day.

"It has been my life’s study since at the age of six I discovered two bows in an attic and was fascinated by them.”

The Longbow Shop is run by founder Jason Powell and fellow directors Graham Higgs and Mike O’Sullivan, all of whom are Longbow archers and have their own Archery GB Club.

Longbow Shop founder Jason Powell and fellow directors Graham Higgs and Mike O’Sullivan

They have supplied arrows for acclaimed BBC series such as The White Queen and Dr Who along with products for New Zealand SFX company Weta Workshop for The Hobbit, Lord of The Rings and Avatar.

Bows have been supplied for new TV series The Royals as well as Shakespeare productions at the Globe Theatre in London.

Thanks to an increasing global interest, The Longbow Shop is the largest traditional archery shop in Europe.

The shop’s stock is all hand-made by artisans and all their bowyers are self-employed English bowyers.

A beginner’s bow starts from around £200 and a top quality yew English longbow can cost up to £850.

Jason, 46, said: “From the first time I loosed an arrow from a traditional English longbow I was smitten.

"We’re delighted to be welcoming actor and Longbow expert Robert Hardy to our shop for this very rare and exclusive event to celebrate the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Agincourt.”

A limited number of tickets are available for the event on May 25.

Tickets cost £50 and are available from The Longbow Shop. The price includes lunch and refreshments throughout the day.

The shop is in Unit 20, Price Street Business Centre, Birkenhead.

AGINCOURT: 

The Battle of Agincourt is often heralded as one of the greatest English military victories.

It occurred on Friday, October 25, 1415 - Saint Crispin's Day - near modern-day Azincourt, in northern France.

Henry V led his troops into battle and participated in hand-to-hand fighting.

It was notable for the use of the English Longbow in very large numbers, with English and Welsh archers forming most of Henry's army. 

In the longbow, the English had perfected a weapon that gave them a considerable advantage over the French crossbow.

A trained archer could shoot six aimed arrows a minute which could wound at 400 yards, kill at 200 and penetrate armour at 100 yards.

The continuous volleys of arrow fire also maddened the French horses, which trampled through the close-packed ranks of French foot soldiers.

The last stanzas of William Shakespeare's St Crispin's Day Speech from Henry V are among the most famous in English literature:

"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne’er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs’d they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin’s day."