Welcome to the London Historical Fencing Club (LHFC). We are a historical European Martial Arts (HEMA) club based in central London, offering classes in Longsword, Rapier, Sabre, and Smallsword.

Fighting with European style swords and other weapons was, until relatively recently, a lost art. Martial arts that were used extensively throughout medieval and renaissance Europe gradually died out over the centuries until they were nearly forgotten. In the last few decades, practitioners of Historical European Martial Arts (HEMA), working from contemporary treatises, have been working to reconstructed these techniques and principles.

LHFC is a non-profit member run club, and a registered charity (registration number 1181581). We were set up with the goal of promoting HEMA through training, scholarship and competition and tournaments.

We train using in a several different weapons and sword fighting styles. The historical sources which form the basis of our teaching range from the high medieval period, through the renaissance and into the early modern.

We welcome anyone from all walks of life, and every session we strive towards creating and maintaining a safe and inclusive environment where everyone should feel free to be themselves. We welcome people from all/no genders, races, ethnicities, body types, sexual orientations, and social backgrounds, and we will do our best to create an accessible environment for any disabled person. You also shouldn’t be concerned about your fitness level or prior martial arts background, as most exercises can be performed slowly or at speed depending on your comfort zone.

So whether you are a complete beginner, experienced in other martial arts, or a seasoned fencer, come join us at one of our regular classes.

Picture: Dan Weir and Sam Booth sparring at our first class, Imperial War Museum Gardens, August 2016