Macclesfield Museums are inviting visitors to step back in time to 1745 and meet Bonnie Prince Charlie as he returns to the town in a special event.

History will come to life at the Old Sunday School heritage centre when re-enactors explore the tale of Charles Edward Stuart’s arrival in the town 270 years ago. Visitors can meet the ‘Prince’ himself, discover the lives of Highland clansmen and even handle Jacobite weapons.

The Jacobite uprising saw thousands of soldiers from Scotland march towards London in an attempt to take back the crown for the Stuart dynasty. “Bonnie Prince Charlie” and his army arrived in Macclesfield on December 1 1745. They stayed two nights before heading off towards London, but when reaching Derby decided to call off their march and retreat.

They returned to Macclesfield on December 20.

The uprising ended the following spring with Jacobite defeat at the Battle of Culloden.

Brocklehurst-Whiston silk manufacturers commemorated the visit in a special woven picture which they produced in 1954. The living history takes place from 10am to 4pm on Saturday, June 6 and admission is free.

The woven silk picture of Bonnie Prince Charlie in Macclesfield marketplace