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History
History
History tells stories about people, places and things to help explain to young people of any age why the world is as it is as they grow up and begin to question it.
Schools will choose different periods and settings and topics to cove during different Key Stages, but all of them are pretty well guaranteed to be rooted in actual places that can be visited, explored and enjoyed.
It has been a curious fact that for many years primary classes have studied the Roman, Anglo-Saxon and medieval periods, while secondary school syllabuses have been more engaged in post-medieval periods. For a while secondary courses involved a great deal of ‘topic work’. While this discipline still exists, the recent examination syllabuses have returned to an emphasis on historical periods and links.
But all periods and topics provide fantastic opportunities for school visits. We are so lucky that so many general and specialist museums and visitor centres exist in the UK. The problem is not a shortage of possibilities but how one sifts through the available opportunities to make choices.
The Historical Association website carries information about course, conferences, study tours, and the Association has published ‘The Historian’ magazine for many years. Handsam is also happy to help, please contact us on 03332 070737 or email info@schooltripsadvisor.org.uk.
Most venues will have teaching materials and activities geared to students’ different ages and aptitudes whether at primary or secondary level. All of them will set out to develop students’ ability to understand, analyse and evaluate key features and characteristics of historical periods and events studied.
Some venues will be easy to identify because they fit neatly with the period and topic being studied but others may offer new possibilities, not least to the teachers themselves. Teachers need and deserve their own stimulation.
Over the next four years there will be an upsurge in visits to the First World War battlefields. Because of this there will be an increase in companies offering visits and requirement for battlefield guides, especially in northern France and Belgium. There are bound to be discrepancies in guides’ knowledge and experience. Close research into the credentials of the company you are contracting with, and the company’s guarantees about guides, will ensure that your group will not be disappointed.
Main organisations:
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Inclusion: NASEN
Thought of visiting?
Roman Vindolanda and Roman Army Museum at Hadrian’s Wall
Viriconium, Wroxeter, Shropshire
The Jorvik Viking Centre, York
Offa’s Dyke Trail and Chirk Castle
The National Trust for Scotland
Clan Donald Visitor Centre, Isle of Skye
Bosworth Battlefield Visitor Centre
Haus am Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin
Exeter Cathedral Education Centre
The National Maritime Museum, Greenwich
The Mary Rose Museum, Portsmouth
East Anglia Railway Museum, Colchester
The National Tramway Museum, Matlock
Venues for this Curriculum
Caernarfon Castle is a medieval fortress in Caernarfon, built in 1283 (it took over 1,000 more than four years to construct) by Edward I in order to stamp his authority on the rebellious Welsh.
Castlerigg is perhaps the most atmospheric and dramatically sited of all British stone circles, with panoramic views and the mountains of Helvellyn and High Seat as a backdrop.
It is also among the earliest British circles, raised in about 3000 BC during the Neolithic period.
A large and impressive Neolithic henge, much better preserved than neighbouring King Arthur's Round Table. Its banks stand up to 3 metres (10 feet) high, and unusually are constructed of pebbles collected from the nearby river.
Near the centre is a single standing stone: old drawings suggest that it was one of a group here, four more having been removed from the entranceway.
A 14th century castle which was mostly destroyed by fire and rebuilt in the 19th century.
Blenkinsopp became nationally renowned after going on sale in 2015.
It hosts a range of holiday homes and picturesque gardens.
An excavated section, part cut into rock, of the ramparts of the huge Iron Age trading and power-centre of the Brigantes, the most important tribe in pre- Roman northern Britain. Some 4 miles (61⁄2 kilometres) long, the defences enclosed an area of 766 acres (310 hectares). Following Roman conquest, the Brigantian centre moved to Aldborough Roman Site.
A mile-long stretch of enigmatic ancient road - probably Roman but possibly later or earlier - amid wild and beautiful moorland, still with its hard core and drainage ditches.
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.
Varied coastal area with natural history and industrial archaeology interest
A diverse collection of coastal properties strung out along the Cleveland Way National Trail. Discover breathtaking views, the remains of industrial endeavours and a wildlife sanctuary.
Visit the Old Coastguard Station in Robin Hood's Bay village and the Ravenscar Coastal Centre to discover more about the landscape and people.
An agricultural estate, rich in wildlife and history
The vast Ysbyty Estate lies just south of the picturesque village of Betws y Coed and is the largest single estate cared for by the National Trust.
An impressive Norman motte and bailey castle, dating from before 1086 and among the first raised in Yorkshire, with the earthworks of an attendant fortified 'borough'.
Skipsea Castle, built in about 1086, was the residence and administrative centre of the lords of Holderness.
For an interesting day out visit Aldborough Roman site among the northern most urban centres in the Roman Empire.
With its breathtaking views of the Yorkshire Dales, Richmond Castle fully deserves its place as one of the finest tourist attractions in North Yorkshire. The castle was originally built to subdue the unruly North of England it is one of the greatest Norman fortresses in Britain.
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.
Birthplace and family home of Sir Isaac Newton
While most mansions fell into disrepair after decades of use, Woodchester Mansion was never actually finished. The mansion was commissioned by William Leigh in the 1850s, but the Victorian workmen mysteriously downed their tools and abandoned it mid-construction in 1873.
An unfinished masterpiece
Winkworth Arboretum is a National Trust-owned arboretum located between Godalming and Hascombe in Surrey.
Winkworth Arboretum exhibits large collections of azalea, rhododendron, and holly on slopes leading down to ornamental lakes.
Working watermill in the heart of Winchester
The City Mill is a rare surviving example of an urban working corn mill, powered by the fast-flowing River Itchen, which can be seen passing under the mill, thrilling our visitors.
Three Bronze Age burial mounds, once part of a much larger 'barrow cemetery', including two bowl barrows, and the largest and finest disc barrow in Hampshire.
The barrows here, originally part of a larger group, stand on a ridge and may have acted as territorial markers. This group is a particularly important prehistoric monument as it survives so well.
Outstanding 16th-century stone dovecote and stable building
Enjoy the tranquil setting of this outstanding 16th-century stone-built dovecote and stable buildings, which nestles alongside Willington church.
Home to over 1,500 resident pigeons, a nesting site for barn owls and kestrels, the dovecote is a great spot for bird-watching.
The legacy of a family's passion for Victorian art and design
Wightwick Manor - haven of a romantic industrialist.
In 1937 Geoffrey Mander MP did something remarkable - he persuaded the National Trust to accept a house that was just 50 years old.
The quiet north Gower coast with its extensive saltmarsh and dunes
North Gower is a tranquil place, for quiet enjoyment, bird watching and walking. Much of the north coast is a large expanse of saltmarsh, which is an ever-changing landscape of mudflats and tidal ditches. Along with Whiteford Burrows, it is an internationally important feeding ground for wading birds and wildfowl.
Corn mill with original wooden machinery in a peaceful riverside setting
An 18th-century corn mill in a peaceful, rural setting. Rebuilt in 1776 on a site marked in the Domesday Book, this substantial mill was extensively repaired in 1994 and still retains its original elm and applewood machinery (now too fragile to be used).
Enjoy a stroll over White Mill bridge or sit in the garden and enjoy the tranquillity of the River Stour.
15th-century stone manor house
This beautiful small manor house, built over three centuries, has late Gothic and Jacobean windows, decorative plasterwork and two important keyboard instruments. There is some fine period furniture, 17th- and 18th-century tapestries and a modern topiary garden.
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