Bringing history TO LIFE

Work never has a chance to become dull for Stephanie Lavery

- SARAH WHITELEY

For most adults, fancy dress is a rare occasion - a Halloween party or Christmas, perhaps - but for Stephanie Lavery, it's her everyday attire. Because, as a living history interpreter, she spends her days recreating female Viking traders, Victorian jailers and suffragettes, among many other people from the past.

'To start, it used to get confusing and I would have to look down to remind myself who I was that day,' laughs the 43-year-old from Cookstown, Co Tyrone, in Northern Ireland. 'It's great fun - I definitely think I've got the best job!' Since she was a child, growing up in South Wales, near the ruins of Raglan Castle, Stephanie has always been fascinated by history. Gazing up at the imposing building, she'd wonder about the lords and ladies who once roamed the stone passageways.

However, when she went to university in London, it was to study drama, in the hopes of becoming an actor. There she met her husband Conall, now 44, in 2000. But when she graduated, it was difficult to find the work she wanted.

'Acting is such a hard profession to break into especially in London, where there's so much competition, Stephanie says. 'So I ended up taking on more hours at the retail shop where I'd worked while I studied.

Three years later, in 2003, Stephanie and Conall moved to Northern Ireland, and when Conall got a teaching job, Stephanie noticed the council were recruiting for living history interpreters to do tours around sites. 'I was instantly interested - not only would I get to use my acting skills, but I'd indulge my other love, history,' she says.

Upon applying, Stephanie was successful and began the role in January 2004, dressing up as a Victorian school teacher. Part of a team of five, their characters would pass on facts about history in an accessible way.