About Hands on History

At Hands on History we are dedicated to bringing history alive in the most entertaining and realistic way possible. We believe that the best presentations, whether conducted to a classroom of children or as part of your event or history day, are the ones that give our audience the chance to become part of the action by seeing, feeling and trying the materials, weapons and activities from their chosen historic era.

Started in 2007 by Martin and Daryl Patterson, with the aim of providing a ‘hands on’ experience. Our combined knowledge and passion for history, coupled with exceptional craftsmanship skills, gives us the ability to offer this ‘hands on’ experience through a range of specifically developed activities that make the most of the equipment we have personally developed.

Using scripted presentations and dressing and equipping volunteers from your audience with our exclusive replicas, we can bring history alive for any period from the Stone Age through to the Second World War.

School Workshops

Our school workshops are extremely popular with schools and colleges, where we enthral primary and secondary students at all Key Stages with live action demonstrations and activities using original and replica weapons, artefacts and clothing. Nick Attwood, our school lead, a teacher with a Masters Degree in history, is always working to develop new ideas and activities to support your teaching of the National Curriculum.

Topic Boxes

You can hire one of our Topic Boxes, packed with quality artefacts and lesson support materials or book one as an addition to a visit from Hands on History. Booking with Hands on History is simple and we will work with you to produce a package that suits your individual needs and budget. We supply any necessary paperwork including contracts, risk assessments and insurance documents. The Company is fully insured, our staff team is trained by us and they are all DBS checked.

“We were very impressed by the Stone Age resources. Authentic animal and plant materials were used alongside flint to make a variety of artefacts that children could handle and grasp what life must have been like back then. There was even a container of Stone Age “food smells”. We have made good use of the Stone Age boxes as part of our sessions to visiting schools. We have had prompt, efficient and professional service, tailored to our needs, from this company. So we would recommend Hands on History and look forward to using their services again.”

– Anne Lucarotti, Education Team, Bexhill Museum

Who we’ve worked with

Hands on History are proud to have worked with schools around Sussex, Kent and Surrey, as well as museums and other Heritage sites and organisations such as The National Trust, English Heritage, Leeds Castle, Penshurst Place and the BBC.

Talk to Us

We’d love to work with you – please get in touch if you have any questions.