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It was one of the most significant battles in English history. Now a new trail will reveal the ‘lost’ stories of the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.
The trail will be launched in Leicestershire in spring next year. A crowdfunding appeal has also been announced to support the development of the project.
Fought on 22 August 1485, the Battle of Bosworth (or Bosworth Field, as it is sometimes known) was the conclusive engagement of the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars fought over control of the English throne.
Plantagenet King Richard III was killed during the fighting, ending his dynasty, and beginning the long rule of the Tudors under the victorious King Henry VII. Despite its significance, however, there are few historical accounts of the event. The body of Richard III, the last English king to die in battle, was found just 12 years ago under a car park in Leicester.
The new Bosworth 1485 trail will run south from Market Bosworth to the village of Stoke Golding, passing by the Bosworth Battlefield Heritage Centre near Sutton Cheney.
Key locations will be marked with panels explaining their significance, along with four specially commissioned artworks depicting the event. The artworks will be designed by Broadbent Studio.
Commenting on the announcement, Martin Peters, chief executive of Leicestershire Promotions – one of the partners in the trail project – said that it will give visitors the ‘physical experience of moving through the landscape in which [the battle] took place.’
‘By embedding a series of unique artworks, we can offer a physical interpretation of the history of the battle and demise of King Richard III,’ Peters added.
The concurrent fundraising appeal aims to raise £20,000 to be put towards activities around the trail. Everyone who makes a donation will be acknowledged on a roll of honour.
For more information about the trail, please visit http://www.richardiiicountry.com.
