Following the recent popular series of ghost stories at Café Walton, tickets have gone on sale for the next local history event on Monday 2nd February. The evening will be hosted by author and historian Darron Childs. His Viking Age story, 40 Day Capital of England, tells the saga of the great Danish invasions from a local perspective, exploring why Gainsborough owes its existence to its early inhabitants and how this became pivotal when the British Isles came under attack from overseas raiders – those we now popularly refer to as the Vikings.
Darron’s original research on this subject was undertaken in the late 1980s in both Denmark and the UK, long before the internet and mobile phones. He eventually uncovered new factual evidence that was first published in The Town on the Trent, which was also made into a documentary film in 1990.
Thirty years later, Danish television contacted Darron as part of a seven-part series that included his research. Gainsborough was featured in episode three, when Darron was interviewed by Rane Willerslev, Director of the National Museum of Denmark, on the River Trent. There he outlined his theory of how and why Sweyn Forkbeard and his son Cnut made Gainsborough their headquarters before taking the crown of England.
Darron has recently completed his MA with an original manuscript that tells this story. This unique event at Café Walton on Gainsborough’s riverside takes place on the anniversary eve of the first Danish King of England’s death. The talk includes an optional tour of some of the Delvers blue plaques starting from Café Walton, where delicious coffee and cakes will be available. Tickets are strictly limited and available through Eventbrite. Each ticket includes a copy of the original Town on the Trent booklet. Further information may be found on the Delvers online community Facebook page.