Robert Hardy to open history exhibition next week in Gloucestershire

UPDATE: Check out some photos of Hardy at the event yesterday, courtesy of the Gloucestershire Echo.

Robert Hardy, who played Cornelius Fudge in the Potter films, is set to open a historic exhibition in Stow-on-the-Wold next week.

The Cheltenham-born actor will open a permanent public exhibition of weaponry and armour, much of which dates back to the Civil War. Hardy, who has played Winston Churchill and Franklin D. Roosevelt, is an expert on medieval warfare and is the current president of the Battlefields Trust.

The exhibition is the brainchild of Stow Civic Society together with the Arms and Armour Heritage Trust. Tim Norris, chairman of the Stow Civic Society, said,

These weapons and armour help tell of some of the conflicts in our nation’s history and in the story of Stow, where the last battle of the first Civil War was fought in 1646.

We’re very proud to be able to give the collection a safe home where the people of Stow and the many visitors to the town can admire it.

Members of the Sealed Knot society in Civil War dress will be in attendance when Robert Hardy performs the opening ceremony at St. Edward’s Hall in Stow Square at 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, May 29.

Among the official guests will be Norman Goodman and David Glaisyer, descendants of the Roundhead and Cavalier commanders, who faced each other at the Battle of Stow.

Were you able to attend the opening ceremony? Let us know in the comments.