About Us

We are the only professional historical falconers in the United Kingdom...

...established in 1998 we are Mike and Emma Raphael; a husband and wife partnership privately based in East Anglia. We are genuine professionals who run an exclusively mobile operation and work uniquely in historical context. With more than 45 years combined falconry experience and nearly 2 decades of historical immersion, we are best described as historical falconry interpreters and were custom created specifically for the heritage sector. In 2009 we launched a second display team headed by Sue Alderman to increase our accessibility. We now provide period falconry demonstrations to some of the most prestigious heritage properties in the country.

We offer a rare and unique service; authentic period falconry re-creations both in live action and third or first person verbal presentation. None of that pantomime stuff you see at some events for it takes much more than a costume to create a proper period falconer....it's what you know and how you share it that counts! So we specialise in the history of English falconry from Antiquity to the 1940s and that means we offer an astonishing variety of period re-creations. We are museum quality, have an extensive knowledge base, strong interpretation skills and a respected style of performance - but most of all we are reputed for our beautiful birds, fabulous period costumes and commanding commentary. We are very proudly the only falconry suppliers to English Heritage and their exclusive sponsorship is a mark of our quality.

Our primary role is to stage arena based flying displays at historical events, not just for entertainment purposes but to educate and create a period atmosphere. We only work at heritage events and properties and can do so either in conjunction with other performers or as a lone attraction. With great imagination and flair we can fit any theme and research and tailor our commentary accordingly. We also cater for schools, museums, and academic institutions and regularly attract the interest of historic TV documentary makers, professional historians and literary researchers. Our mission is simple; to promote the value of falconry, to reveal the cultural heritage of British falconry and in so doing to generate support and enthusiasm to preserve falconry for the future.

We don't feel the need to bore you with testamonials, we think our event diary speaks for itself! But for a quick name-check past and present customers include English Heritage, The National Trust, The Royal Armouries, The British Library, Alnwick Castle, Hampton Court Palace, Hever Castle, The History Channel, Channel 4 Time Team, Stoke Pottery Museum, The V & A Museum, Jersey Heritage Trust, The Old Royal Naval College and many more!

We have a talented team of experienced birds and they lie at the heart of what we do. Our hawks, owls and falcons are the real stars of our shows and we never forget that. The respect and welfare of our feathered friends is of paramount importance and for that reason we do not allow stroking or handling at any of our public events...we are not a petting zoo and prefer to teach the public to respect raptors and treat them appropriately. We believe that watching a majestic bird in free flight should be entertaining enough. We make no apologies for placing our birds above entertainment. We see our position in the public theatre as a great responsibility - there is no room for error so our husbandry, our information and our execution will always be exemplary. Our birds are kings!

If you are looking for a cheap and cheerful falconry demonstration - we're probably not the people for you! If however you are looking for something special; a top quality attraction with historical integrity, a falconry performance that is profoundly different, utterly captivating and perfectly suited to a period venue....then please do get in touch!