BATTLE-scarred medieval bandits rubbed shoulders with war-weary soldiers from the Napoleonic Age as history came to life with a bang.

The 'Walk through History' event at Worcester Woods Country Park brought in crowds in their hundreds on Saturday. Even a spell of rain on Sunday failed to dampen the enthusiasm of visitors.

Crowds were entertained by 'weapons through the ages' - firing demonstrations from early muskets to modern automatic weapons, archery displays and a 17th century pike drill.

The thunder of musket fire competed with the clash of swords for the attention of visitors.

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Meanwhile, the aroma of the campfires only added to the atmosphere as cooks rustled up some tasty recipes from the past.

A sign even warned people of 'intermittent loud bangs' at the event, organised by Worcester Re-enactors. An assortment of tents and military vehicles provided a glimpse into a cross-section of historical periods.

Dave Henderson was recreating the world of the 23rd Royal Welsh Fusiliers from the age of the Napoleonic Wars.

"It has been very good and there has been quite a bit of public interest and engagement," he said as he held aloft the Regimental Colours.

Nathan Berry, 19, of Amicorum re-enactment helped vivify the age of medieval king Richard II in the 1390s, a time he said many veterans were returning from the Hundred Years' War and resorting, in some cases, to banditry. 

Andy Tivenan, group leader and also cook, from Pershore was showing some of the rich spices (around 180 varieties) available in the Middle Ages - to those who could afford it and said food from this period was 'tastier than you might think' and 'great to eat'.

One of the organisers, Brian Bullock, was dressed in the regalia of a soldier from the time of the Battle of Worcester in 1651 (the Wars of the Three Kingdoms or British Civil War).

He said the mud had made it 'like the Somme' at times but the sun had arrived to dry out the ground.

"Saturday was a brilliant day. It's becoming an annual event," he said.