Swordfighting North East - The Society for the Study of Swordsmanship

The Society for the Study of Swordsmanship

Authentic Historical Sword Fighting


The Society for the Study of Swordsmanship was founded in 1998, though some of our instructors were teaching martial arts long before that.

We are part of the British Federation for Historical Swordplay (BFHS), and all our instructors are fully qualified under the BFHS certification programme.

We offer training in traditional European swordsmanship, including:

  • The Rapier and Sidesword
  • The Backsword
  • Military Sabre
  • Smallsword
  • Cutlass

Find out more about the weapons we train with here.

Our classes are suitable for complete beginners, experienced martial artists from other systems and anyone who has trained in other forms of fencing.

No equipment is necessary and we offer a free introductory course.

Unfortunately, we cannot accommodate under-18s.

Join Us


Our classes are every Wednesday, from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. If you would like to join us, please contact us.

You can find us at the Penshaw Community Association, in Penshaw, just off the A19.