TheWars of the Roses (1455–1487), was fought between two rival branches of the Plantagenet family (the houses of Lancaster and York). The Second Battle of St Albans took place on 17 February 1461. The Yorkist army, commanded by Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick (nicknamed, ‘The Kingmaker’), attempted to bar the road to London, north of the town, at Bernards Heath. The Lancastrians, under Queen Margaret of Anjou (known as, ‘The She-wolf of France’), outflanked the Yorkists, taking them by surprise and won the day.

The exhibition will guide the visitor through the chronology of the Wars of Roses, provide a timeline for the campaign and explain what happened during the battle. The exhibition contains objects and replicas to explain the nature of warfare at this period. One of the star objects is a cannonball, the second oldest known in England, found near the present site of the King William IV pub on the Sandridge Road.