A family who love nothing better than to study the Romans.

Bob, his wife Pamela and their son Ian can often be found in 4th Century costume.

But that's par for the course for a family who keep alive Roman culture by taking it to the people.

MARK THOMPSON reports.



DRESSING in ancient attire is nothing new for the Fenwicks.
This Hartlepool family are obsessed by Roman history.

Bob, 72, his wife Pamela, 83, and their son Ian, 49, are all part of Roma Antiqua, a living history group.

Bob said: "At first it is a bit embarrassing and you feel a bit self-conscious all dressed up but after a while it becomes more normal than everyday clothes.

"We all do it because we love Roman history and we enjoy keeping it alive."

The family, who live together in Owton Close, can often be seen clad in their gowns and armour showing how people lived throughout the Roman Empire.

The family's passion for history began when Ian worked as an archeologist after developing a keen interest in history as a young boy.

He has now devoted his life to living history after he was forced to give up archaeology and retire due to spondylitis, a back stiffening condition.

His parents followed in their son's footsteps after they retired and after reading piles of books and surfing the internet they have become Roman experts themselves.

Bob, a retired ICI office manager, said: "Myself and my wife have been doing it for about 15 years after I retired.

"Ian has been interested in history since he was little and I guess he got us interested because he was doing this well over 25 years ago.

"For some reason we are all interested in things Roman and there is no way better of showing what it was like then than re-enacting it.

"People love seeing us and we always attract a crowd. We all enjoy talking to visitors and explaining the history and we also have items to show people."

Among those items are a scorpion, a free-standing large crossbow that fires bolts, Roman tents and a medical kit with over 100 items, which is a replica of one found in Pompeii.

"We also have all the different stages of the Roman Empire so visitors can see how they developed from sheets, to chain mail, to metal plating armour over hundreds of years," added Bob.

A recent highlight for the group was meeting Channel 4's Time Team crew on a dig at their base in Binchester.

The village in Bishop Auckland is famous for its well-preserved Roman fort that presenter Tony Robinson and his team were eager to look closely into.

"We were invited along to take part and they asked us lots of questions," said Bob.

"It was a great day and they even said they wanted to come back because there is so much uncovered – people forget how much history is around here."

The family's group has 14 members but Bob says there is a massive community of re-enacters across the world.

"I get people from New York wanting to speak to me about the Romans. There are lots of groups out there across the UK and the world who share this interest and want to share information."

For more information about the group phone Bob on (01429) 295205 or email upton8@yahoo.co.uk.