Battle of Hastings recreated by hundreds of re-enactors

Hundreds of re-enactors from the UK and France recreated the Battle of Hastings to mark the anniversary of the clash that defined English history.

This year's re-enactment, external of the battle fought on 14 October 1066 took place on Saturday and Sunday with horses, encampments and drifting wood smoke.

The event took place a year ahead of the 950th anniversary.

English Heritage has already started drawing up plans for 2016.

Next year, part of William the Conqueror's abbey - the Great Gatehouse roof at Battle Abbey - will be opened to give visitors a view of the landscape where the battle was fought.

Inside the Great Gatehouse, a new exhibition will give an account of the day of the battle from dawn to dusk.

It will also explore the lead-up to the conflict, what is known about the location of the battle and the legacy of the clash.

New information points will be installed in the visitor centre and across the battlefield.

English Heritage chief executive Kate Mavor said the battle defined England's political, social and geographical landscape for centuries.

And last month, BBC News readers voted Hastings the third most decisive battle in British history, behind Bannockburn and the Battle of Britain.

Conservation work is starting on the Great Gatehouse, which will see repairs to the masonry and work to weather-proof the turrets and roof.

And curators are carrying out research on two forgotten staircases that may shed light on later uses of the building.

It is thought the staircases could have been used for secure treasuries, English Heritage said.