CIVIL War enthusiasts turned the clock back more than 300 years by showing Hampshire shoppers how battles were fought in the 17th century.

Armed with pikes and muskets members of the Tillier’s Regiment – part of the Sealed Knot charity – staged musters and battle re-enactments in Winchester city centre.

Their four-hour visit comprised a series of displays outside the Westgate Museum and the Great Hall.

Watched by a large crowd, the enthusiasts staged verbal and visual descriptions of Civil War battles. Members of the public were able to join in, with mini muskets and pikes being issued to children.

The event was held in conjunction with the Westgate Museum, which has reopened at weekends after its winter break.

Originally one of five gateways that formed part of Winchester’s city walls, the present structure is medieval but stands on the site of an earlier version built by the Romans.

Between the 16th and 18th centuries the upper chamber of the gate was used as a debtors’ jail and some of the prisoners’ graffiti can still be seen on the walls. In 1791 a pedestrian route was created through the gate, resulting in the demolition of a lodge occupied by a porter who collected tolls.

The upper chamber housed the city’s archives in the 19th century and became a museum in 1898 after major refurbishment.

Beginning in 1642 the English Civil War was a nine-year conflict between the Parliamentarians, known as Roundheads, and the Royalists, who were dubbed Cavaliers.

Winchester Cathedral contains a statue of Charles 1 that was damaged by musket fire when Parliamentarian troops took the city.