Live History is gearing up to launch its newest Roman character at this year's Chester Heritage Festival.

Conducting costumed walking tours in Chester, Live History aims to uncover Chester's social history, 'as told through the eyes of ordinary folk in the street'.

The team will return to Chester Heritage Festival on Wednesday 28 and Friday 30 May, joined by 'Carpophorus the hoplomachus'.

Named after 'Bestiarii' - a gladiator that fought wild animals, Carpy will take visitors on an adventure into the past in just sixty-minutes.

Not only was the fortress of Deva the largest in Britain, Chester also possesses what is believed to be the largest amphitheatre in Britain.

Hoplomachus gladiators were just one among a number of different fighters, such as the retiarius or secutor.

Traditionally, hoplomachus fought with a spear, small shield and sometimes a dagger and were paired against murmillo - a fighter that closely resembled roman soldiers with a sword and shield.

For Romans, the idea was to pair different gladiators against each other to make the matches more entertaining.

Since its launch in the spring of 2024, the Chester Family Tour has become one of the first local tours to introduce a shorter sixty-minute tour.

This is specifically aimed at children, those with shorter attention spans, mobility issues and tighter time constraints when visiting Chester.

Characters you may find on a Chester Family Tour include, Victorian undertaker, Dark Prince, the Tudor glover, Walter de Whibley - or even Tudor stonemason, Robert Mason.

Some of these historical characters appeared as part of last year's Chester Heritage Festival - a colourful celebration of the city's past.

For those wishing to join the Dark Prince this half-term, you can do so on Friday 30 May at 11am.

For more details about Live History and the work that they do, please visit the website.