Living history lesson at the castle as Trafalgar victory is celebrated

The two-day event, staged by the Historical Promotions group, was run as part of the SeaBritain 2005 national programme, commemorating the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.

The story of Britain's most celebrated admiral in his final battle was interspersed with traditional maritime crafts and battle re-enactments.

Naval crews and marines staged a number of demonstrations of weapons and drill marches.

Groups of re-enactors in authentic costumes wandered the grounds portraying life at the time and answering the many questions posed by visitors.

The infamous and dreaded Press Gang were on the prowl looking for potential recruits to force into a life at sea.

Food of the time was cooked and sold from market stalls and sea shanties sung.

The ship's surgeon gave a talk on his grisly trade on board and the less gruesome crafts of candle-making and cloth dyeing were also explained.

A spokeswoman for Arundel Castle said: "The weekend was a real success. We had lots of visitors, including many families enjoying a day out.

"The best thing was watching the children staging their own battle re-enactments in the grounds and playing at being sailors.

"The costumes worn by the demonstrators were very authentic-looking and they answered lots of questions on life at the time.

"It was a great weekend and well timed to coincide with the Battle of Trafalgar celebrations."