From our arrival we were treated as brave heroes who had travelled more than 60 miles to fight an evil tyrant, as opposed to a few minutes on a coach.

From then on the audience represented 100 Londoners marching four miles cross-country to surprise King Henry III as he slept.

A cast of six added to the immersive atmosphere, playing short scenes representing a cross-section of 750-year-old society and improvising banter as the march went on.

There were the professional soldiers, obeying orders but unsure why they were there; the eager young Lewes boy keen to take up arms; and the mercenary nobleman, complete with Royalist prisoner, chivvying on the soldiery while keeping an eye out for booty.

As the battlefield got closer the tension ratcheted up, with Michael Webber's drunken Harvey slowly sobering, and Kieron Jecchinis's guide Thomas Barliwey leading prayers before the inevitable carnage.

It was hard not to feel nervous lined up to face where the enemy slept - now a modern housing estate.

The concluding presentation summed up both the futility of war and the unfortunate fate of the militiamen who played such a part in De Montfort's victory. Suzi Hopkins's economical script drew modern parallels with the xenophobia thrown around in the European election campaigns this week, with references to foreign devils controlling the crown.

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