About Northern Forge

   

Northern Forge is a York-based provider of immersive Key Stage 2 history outreach days, bringing the worlds of the Vikings, Romans, Anglo-Saxons, and Normans directly into primary schools. 

 

We deliver interactive, hands-on learning experiences that allow pupils to explore the past through weapons demonstrations, object handling, storytelling, and historical games. Each session is led by experienced educators in authentic historical dress, helping children step into the past and experience history in a way that is engaging, memorable, and fun.

 

 

Our Story 

 

Northern Forge was founded after working as the Viking Team Leader at the Jorvik Viking Centre. 

 

During that time, it became clear that while museum visits are exciting, they often come with practical challenges for schools. Travel costs, time limitations, and large visitor numbers can mean pupils only have a short time engaging with the learning experience. 

 

By bringing the experience directly into schools, pupils gain significantly more time interacting with the educators leading the sessions. This allows for deeper learning, more questions, and far greater participation from every child in the class.

 

 

A New Chapter 

 

Like many educational programmes, Northern Forge paused during the COVID‑19 pandemic. 

During this time, the founder moved into higher education teaching, gaining a PGCE and achieving Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) accreditation. This period helped refine the educational approach behind Northern Forge, combining professional teaching practice with the immersive historical interpretation that made the outreach days so popular. 

 

Now Northern Forge is returning to primary schools with renewed energy and an even stronger focus on high-quality, engaging learning experiences.

 

 

Our Approach 

 

At Northern Forge, we believe that learning should be engaging, fun, and memorable. 

 

Children learn best when they can see, touch, ask questions, and take part, rather than simply listen. Our outreach days are designed to encourage curiosity, spark imagination, and make historical periods feel real and exciting. 

 

By combining professional teaching experience with authentic historical interpretation, we create learning experiences that pupils remember long after the school day ends.

 

 

Meet the Team 

 

NEIL TATTERSALL  ^{BA (Hons), BADC, PGCE, FHEA}

FOUNDER, LECTURER & FIGHT DIRECTOR

 

Neil is an experienced history educator and heritage practitioner specialising in immersive learning for

primary-aged pupils. With a background in performance and education, he combines storytelling, historical interpretation, and practical engagement to bring the past vividly to life.

 

He holds a BA (Hons) in Theatre from the University of Leeds (2004-2007), a PGCE completed through the Open University and University Centre Leeds (2022), and was awarded Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) in 2025. In addition, he achieved anindustry-recognised certificate in teaching dramatic combat from the British Academy of Dramatic Combat (BADC) in 2019, further enhancing his dynamic and physical approach to historical interpretation.

 

Back in 2011, Neil founded Northern Forge, delivering engaging Viking, Roman, Anglo-Saxon, and Norman-themed outreach days for Key Stage 2 pupils across the UK. His work focuses on making history accessible, memorable, and curriculum-linked through interactive workshops and hands-on experiences.

 

Alongside this, he has been running the Original Viking Walk in York since 2015, and in 2026 expanded his tours to include bespoke/general history tours of York, and his latest tour: the Original Roman Walk, offering historically informed and entertaining guided tours that draw on both academic knowledge and performance expertise.

 

Neil's professional experience includes working for Leeds Conservatoire, UC Leeds, and University of Salford as a lecturer, as well as guest lecturer at four other universities, he was an occasional consultant for the Royal Armouries, and served as Team Leader of the Viking Interactive Team at the JORVIK Viking Centre from 2007 to 2013, where he played a key role in developing and delivering world-class visitor experiences.

 

 

 

ADAM SEYMOUR

EXPERT STORYTELLER & WORKSHOP FACILITATOR

 

York-native, Adam, brings years of storytelling experience to Northern Forge's team. Starting his storytelling career at the infamous York Dungeon as an actor before moving on to the interactive team at the world-famous Jorvik Viking Centre, working for a spell directly under Neil. 

 

As a keen student of history and martial arts, he has studied Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) under various masters, is one grade away from his Karate black belt, and combined his love of learning,

performing, and fighting to become an Advanced Actor-Combatant with the BADC under Neil's tutelage, 

mastering myriad systems of armed and unarmed fighing. 

 

Adam has worked with Northern Forge as a skald and a tour guide around the beautiful city of York since 2016, and is utterly invaluable to the team. 

 

 

 

THOM JONES  ^{BA (Hons), CAPES}

EDUCATION CONSULTANT  

 

Thom Jones has lived in more than a dozen countries and delivered training in over 70. Having been a truly useless student (and proving it frequently by failing all the exams he was set) he started his professional life as a waiter before going into teaching, then management, before going freelance.

 

Formerly part of the senior executive at Embassy CES before becoming Director of Operations USA for Studygroup he returned to the UK to work with Trinity College London, then on to the lovely people at EC.

 

He now runs his own company: Brock Solutions Agency. He presents regularly around the world on a range of topics and is a guest lecturer at four universities. Every summer he runs the Cambridge College project

for SBC.

 

Fifteen years ago he cycled from the UK to Turkey, travelling through 11 countries. He is a consultant and Ambassador of Buzz for Express Publishing. And lastly he is rubbish at maths, so it is a good job we do history/histrionics and communication.

 

  

 

ERIN TATTERSALL  ^{BA (Hons)}

EDUCATION OFFICER, FACT CHECKER & KEEPER OF ALL HISTORY

 

Erin holds a first-class degree in history from the prestigious University of Birmingham, and is the brains of

the operation. She tolerates the rest of the team with a taut smile and barely concealed contempt. She knows all the history and what best to do with it.

 

Erin does not want this responsibilty but unfortunately she made the mistake of proposing to Neil 10 years ago, so it is no one else's fault but her own.

 

 

 

 

  

 

 

What Schools Say 

 

To read what schools think of the services we provide please click here or navigate to the testimonials page.

 
 
  
 
 
 

For more information email us at [email protected] or give us a call on 07716141787 (Mon-Fri: 10:00 - 17:00).  We'd love to hear from you, but please bear in mind that we work out of the office frequently, and therefore may not be able to take your call immediately.  We endeavour to get back to everyone as soon as possible.