Battle of Hastings returns after two years off

WATCH: Charlotte Wilkins reports from Battle. She spoke to Becky Hornby from English Heritage and battle re-enactor Gareth 'Goose' Evans.

On the very spot where King Harold and his men did battle with William the Conqueror nearly 1,000 years ago, the sound of swords clashing rang out once again on Saturday.

Speartips glinted in the October sunshine as around 500 soldiers donned chainmail armour as they marched to the battlefield.

Norman and Anglo-Saxon re-enactors clash at Battle Credit: PA

Although blades were blunter than they were in 1066, high drama was still on display as re-enactors clashed at the Battle of Hastings re-enactment.

The exhibition fight took place near the historic Battle Abbey in East Sussex ahead of the anniversary of the epic battle on Thursday.

Archers practised for months ahead of the battle Credit: PA

Archers let loose their arrows and mounted cavalry charged across the green fields that once saw the fate of England decided.

'King Harold' motivating his troops Credit: PA

One actor playing the unfortunate King Harold – without an arrow in his eye – was seen yelling to his troops, perhaps in an effort to inspire them to a different result than befell the real monarch in the 11th century.

The real Battle of Hastings saw thousands of troops clash as Harold and William vied for control of the English throne.

The power struggle followed the death of the childless King Edward the Confessor in January 1066.