Abergavenny Museum and Castle is an ideal venue for an educational visit. We welcome schools who wish to bring pupils for a general visit to look at the castle and/or the museum displays. Entry is free. We do ask that you let us know when you are intending to visit, so we can let you know of any events that may affect your visit.
Historic Re-enactments
Historic Re-enactments
What is it?
Historic re-enactments are both educational and entertaining. Typically the re-enactments take the form of dressing up in a style from the past in order to focus on a particular theme or time period. These can take the form of participation events such as mock trials, industrial workplaces or Victorian schoolroom sessions through to observations of major rehearsed re-enactments such as battles. Battle re-enactments often take the form of combat demonstrations, which are generally performed by a company to members of the public and are loosely based around actual events with costumes, armour and weapons from the period in use.
What does it involve?
The level of involvement differs depending on whether you would like to get your pupils involved in the re-enactment or not. If you are to be involved in the re-enactment then you will be brief by a member of the re-enactment team on what is expected of the pupils prior to the event. Pupils will often dress in appropriate clothing for the time period they are re-enacting and will learn historical facts as the re-enactment takes place. If you are watching a re-enactment you will simply sit and observe the show whilst learning about the specific topic, often being narrated by members of the performing troupe.
Why do it and what are the benefits?
Watching re-enactments will help students to learn about a given time period. Having a visual of a specific topic is far better than simply reading about it. Better still actually involving students in the re-enactment will help all pupils recall facts especially helping kinaesthetic learners. There is also a lot of fun to be had in the dressing up!
What equipment do we need?
As with most activities where you visit an establishment to try it, the venue should provide the majority of the equipment you'll need to participate. You should always check beforehand though, as some places may ask you come dressed appropriately for the specific activity.
Who is it suitable for?
Watching an historic re-enactment is a suitable activity for children of all ages. If the pupils are to be partaking in the re-enactment then activity is only suitable for children in key stage 2 and upwards.
Costs?
The cost of a re-enactment varies depending on the amount of pupils you wish to take and whether you will be watching or partaking in the activity. The length of the re-enactment session will also have an impact on cost. Some venue such as castles and museums hold regular re-enactments so it may be worth looking at tying in your trip with a visit to an educational venue. Please research various providers in your area to find the best value offering.
Issues/Things to think about? (unsuitable for age groups, medical conditions etc)
Simply watching an historic re-enactment poses little to no risk however some students may be sensitive to particular realistic recreations of battle scenes. If you are partaking in a re-enactment it is important to listen to any safety briefings given by the organisation. As with any school trip it is important you take any student specific medication with you if the re-enactment takes place off the premises.
How do we include?
Many venues now cater for pupils with physical disabilities. Please consult specific venues in your area to find out more about what they are set up for.
Doing it abroad?
There is a very big historical re-enactment scene in the united states however they often focus on events relevant to American history so may not be relevant to the Curriculum.
Main website:
For more information on Historic re-enactments please click here.
It is a good idea to research venues in your area before the trip.
Venues with this Activity
Pembrokeshire's County Museum is located in a traditional Victorian country house near Haverfordwest, surrounded by 60 acres of park and woodland and is completed by an award-winning eco-centre.
Period rooms, railway displays, farming exhibition, costume, stable/rural crafts, art exhibitions, World War II homefront exhibition. Picnic and play areas, shop and tearoom.
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet is a unique eighteenth century industrial works. Catch a glimpse of life at home and at work at a rural scythe and steelworks dating back to the 18th century.
Enter a world where 235 million years of history is brought to life. From majestic mammoths to Saxon invaders, visitors to the Hull and East Riding museum of archaeology can look forward to an experience that is unique, educational and fun.
For an interesting day out visit Aldborough Roman site among the northern most urban centres in the Roman Empire.
Mock-Gothic castle sitting on the shores of Lake Windermere with turrets, towers and informal grounds
Wray Castle came to us without its contents so you will not see a 'typical' National Trust house full of paintings, furniture and antiques with an accompanying owner-family history through the ages. What you will see is a 'tired' but fascinating building with hints of its ‘grand’ past and plenty of signs of its varied history.
Manor house associated with the family of George Washington, first president of the USA
At the heart of historic Washington village this picturesque stone manor house and its gardens provide a tranquil oasis, reflecting gentry life following the turbulence of the English Civil War.
The building incorporates parts of the original medieval home of George Washington's direct ancestors, and it is from here that the family took their surname of 'Washington'.
Country home of the Victorian statesman Benjamin Disraeli
Hughenden offers a vivid insight into the charismatic personality and colourful private life of the most unlikely Victorian Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli, who lived here from 1848 to 1881. You can browse among an extraordinary collection of personal memorabilia, and there's even a Victorian playroom for younger visitors.
Hear it, feel it, see it, do it
Be at the heart of the action and explore your industrial past along the scenic walk taking in the ten award-winning Ironbridge Gorge Museums spread along the valley beside the wild River Severn.
See the products that set industry on its path and the machines that made them. Watch and talk to the Museums’ craftsmen and costumed demonstrators.
17th-century house with elegant 18th-century decoration and a traditional farmyard
This charming 17th-century farmhouse, elegantly remodelled in Georgian times, offers fun and relaxation for all the family. Set in 100 acres of countryside, there are apple orchards and charming woodland walks. The atmosphere of a working farmyard has been rekindled with the return of small animals.
One of the Trust's most delightful medieval buildings, enhanced by a cottage garden
Acquired in 1903, this unusual and atmospheric 14th-century yeoman's farmhouse is the Trust's first built property in Cornwall. With a famously wavy slate roof and over 600 years of history it beckons the curious to explore.
The name dates from the Victorian period when it briefly held a licence to be the letter receiving station for the district.
A traditional English pub
The Fleece Inn is the perfect rural retreat just a stone's throw from the beautiful Cotswold's boasting roaring open fires for the winter months, open garden and apple orchard for the summer sun and a friendly welcome all year round.
Awe-inspiring Anglo-Saxon royal burial site
This hauntingly beautiful 255 acre estate, with far-reaching views over the river Deben, is home to one of the greatest archaeological discoveries of all time.
Walk around the ancient burial mounds and discover the incredible story of the ship burial of an Anglo-Saxon king and his treasured possessions.
Come and discover two contrasting experiences sitting side by side
Late 17th-century house with lavish interiors and the Museum of Childhood
St Mawes Castle is among the best-preserved of Henry VIII's coastal artillery fortresses, and the most elaborately decorated of them all. One of the chain of forts built between 1539 and 1545 to counter an invasion threat from Catholic France and Spain, it guarded the important anchorage of Carrick Roads, sharing the task with Pendennis Castle on the other side of the Fal estuary.
Pretty 17th-century 'Plantation' home with a significant costume collection
Experience the beguiling spirit of this inimitable 17th-century 'Plantation' home, with its walled gardens and parkland, full of tempting waymarked paths. There are ten generations of Lenox-Conyngham family tales to enthrall you, as well as numerous portraits and much furniture to admire and not forgetting Ireland's most-documented ghost: Olivia.
When you visit the railway you can enjoy a unique train ride through dramatic limestone scenery, discover fossils and wild flowers, learn about the railway and stare at the vintage rolling stock!
Set on a large natural mound, Launceston Castle dominates the surrounding landscape. Begun soon after the Norman Conquest, its focus is an unusual keep consisting of a 13th-century round tower built by Richard, Earl of Cornwall, inside an earlier circular shell-keep.
A chance to experience what war was like over the last three hundred years for soldiers and their families. A fun way to show history to your students.
One thousand years of jaw-dropping history!
Great battles, ancient myths, spellbinding tales, pampered princesses, heroic knights. You can find them all here at Warwick Castle.
Rare survival of a complete estate, with all major buildings including mansion house, servants' quarters, model farm and walled garden
Journey through the historic estate of Shugborough and experience the nation's best 'upstairs downstairs' experience.
Tamworth Castle is a Norman Motte and Bailey Castle located in the centre of Tamworth surrounded by the Castle Pleasure grounds. The oldest parts of the Castle are believed to date from the 1180s. There are 15 period rooms to explore with many hands-on activities for all ages.
Schools and Groups
Overlooking Portland Harbour in Dorset stands one of Henry VIII’s finest coastal forts, built in the early 1540s to protect against French and Spanish invasion.
Today it provides a great day out for visitors and its audio tour, included in the admission price, tells of the castle’s 450 year history and the part it played in the First and Second World Wars.
Well preserved Tudor Home with gardens and some dressed rooms. We also provide a Tudor treasure chest handling collection. And a Servant's Life education activity led by costumed character.
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