Cromwell House residents remember the man himself thanks to artefacts from Huntingdon’s Cromwell Museum

The luxury home on High Street stands on the site where Cromwell was born in 1599 and where he lived for half his life and still has a replica of the Warrant for the Execution of King Charles, signed by Cromwell on its wall.

Thanks to a visit from the museum’s Learning and Communities Officer Kristina Kapitza, residents were able to wear replica red coats from the new modelled army and handle replica artefacts including swords, armour, helmets and a hat once owned and worn by the man himself.

Kristina said: "Love him or hate him Oliver Cromwell was a major historical figure best known for leading the Parliamentarian army in the Civil Wars before becoming Lord Protector.

"To many he is a polarising figure due to his campaign against Royalist forces in Ireland for which he is accused of war crimes. But to others he is seen as a champion of religious toleration and parliamentary democracy in England.”

Residents were able to discuss local legends and discover more about Huntingdon and how the home (in some form or another), like the town’s two original coaching inns, was around in Cromwell’s lifetime situated on the Great North Road that ran between London and York.

The Cromwell Museum on Grammar School Walk, the site of the town’s grammar school attended by Cromwell, has the world’s best collection of objects relating to Cromwell and his family members.

It also includes a large oak beam from Cromwell’s home that once stood on the site of the current care home.

Anthony Chapman, 83, a resident at the home said: “It was a great visit and fascinating to hear all about Cromwell and his connections to our building and the town.

"And it was fun dressing up as a soldier, but they’d have known they were carrying those swords – the weight of them.”

Carol Slater, Manager of the 64-bed Abbey Healthcare home, added: "We’ve loved having Kristina visit the home on a number of occasions to explore the life and times of the 17th century soldier and stateman ‘warts and all’.

"The majority of our residents grew up in the local area, so it supports their sense of belonging and sparks memories of what they were taught in history classes and their own life growing up in and around Huntingdon.”

The Cromwell Museum, which opened in 1962, continues to attract record numbers of visitors each year, this year welcoming nearly 15,000 people to its collections.