Historical background of the Society and its Aims

The hamlet of Little Woodham was constructed by the English Civil War Society in 1984 in order to present a temporary exhibition of 17th Century life and soldiery. The exhibition concluded after a successful two weeks and local people. fearing that the site would be lost, formed the Gosport Living History Society. The Society, in the subsequent years, presented the historical interpretation at the site, with the Borough Council of Gosport providing the finance and much of the administration. In 1995, Gosport Living History Society became a Registered Charity and now undertakes all the administration and financial considerations of the site and presentation. Members of the Society are all unpaid volunteers, and new members, of whatever age, sex, race or religion are very welcome.

Due to the initial temporary nature of the construction, the site of Little Woodham had presented the Society with numerous historical anomalies. Another contributing factor to the difficulties of recreating an image of the past has been current planning regulations and the consideration of the safety of visitors. The Society has, accordingly, had to compromise on many facets of building materials and construction methods. The everyday objects used to furnish the re-enactment are not museum pieces, and the Society intends the presentation itself to be the direct opposite of most museum displays. Within our 20th century limitations, we offer a reconstructed image of an English society in the past based upon our members' research. which is constantly being updated. As an educational charity we aim to educate by interaction ­ visitors, of all ages, have the opportunity to question and criticize, but most importantly, we hope our re-enactment will make everyone look more closely at the image of the past which they have constructed in their minds.