Brighton Midsummer Fencing Festival – 2026 – Presenter – Andrew Feest

Presenter – Andrew Feest

Historical Fencing Master · Master Sword-maker • Scholar 

Brighton, United Kingdom 

Andrew Feest is a co-founder of the Sussex Sword Academy and a former President of the British Federation of Historical Swordplay. Over more than three decades, he has worked as a teacher and practitioner of historical fencing, combining practical instruction, material reconstruction, and close engagement with historical sources to explore how European fencing systems were taught, practised, and transmitted.

Andrew trained in Italy under Maestro Andrea Lupo Sinclair and teaches a classical method rooted in the Italian school, with particular focus on the rapier. He has also studied and taught historical longsword, bringing a comparative perspective informed by hands-on practice. Alongside his teaching, he has worked for over 25 years as a professional master sword-maker, producing historically accurate weapons guided by direct study of original artefacts and period treatises.

In recent years, Andrew’s research has focused on Agesilao Greco, a central yet under-examined figure in the transition from classical fencing to modern sport fencing. This work has involved the systematic translation of Greco’s treatises, letters, and polemical writings, together with archival research in Italy and Sicily. Andrew’s approach to Greco emerges from a practice-led tradition of study: reconstructing historical systems through close reading of treatises, physical application, and sustained dialogue with fellow practitioners and colleagues within the fencing community.

Andrew has delivered lectures and practical demonstrations at institutions including the Wallace Collection, the Royal Armouries in Leeds, and the National War Museum, co-presented with his fellow teacher Duncan Fatz, and has appeared on historical programmes for the BBC and Channel Four. He has taught and presented at international events in the UK, France, Spain, Italy, United States and Malta. His current work is focused on research and translation.

At this event, Andrew will present his research on Agesilao Greco for the first time to a wider audience, drawing on translated primary sources and practical insight to consider Greco’s work, method, and historical position within the European fencing tradition.