SHAKESPEARE’S Globe’s first visit to York Theatre Royal concluded with an open-air marathon performance of all three Henry VI plays on a single day at Towton Battlefield yesterday.

In the July sunshine, Nick Bagnall’s cast of 14 presented what the London company called “an unprecedented theatrical event, exploring the links between English history, English literature and English landscape” .

Shakesepeare’s Globe performed Shakespeare’s first blockbuster history sequence under the Wars of the Roses trilogy’s original titles of Harry The Sixth, The Houses Of York & Lancaster and The True Tragedy Of The Duke Of York.

The Battle of Towton features in the Henry VI plays, adding poignancy to staging them close to the site of the bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil.

It is believed to have claimed 28,000 lives during eight hours of brutal hand-to-hand combat in the midst of a snowstorm, conditions that could not have been more contrasting to yesterday’s summer heat.

The Towton trilogy of performances in the field behind the Rockingham Arms pub began at 12.30pm and concluded as darkness descended at around 10pm. The audience capacity was set at 300 and those attending were advised to bring sunscreen, seating or rugs and a picnic.

Shakespeare’s Globe’s Henry VI: Three Plays will be staged in London from September.