In 1290 Queen Eleanor, wife of Edward 1, died at Harby in Nottinghamshire, aged 49. As her funeral procession brought her body back to be buried at Westminster Abbey, Edward decreed that lavish crosses should be erected in her memory at each of the stopping off points along the way.
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
Situated just outside St Albans are the remains of Old Gorhambury House, a once immense mansion constructed in 1563-8 by the Lord Keeper of the Great Seal, Sir Nicholas Bacon. A prolific builder, Sir Nicholas spent many years expanding and adapting the residence - the showpiece of which was undoubtedly an elaborate and expensive porch adorning the entrance.
A little-known gem, Gainsborough Old Hall is among the biggest and best-preserved medieval manor houses in England. It is part timber-framed but mostly brick-built. It was built in the latter part of the 15th century with Elizabethan additions, and has an impressive kitchen with an enormous fireplace, a noble great hall, and an imposing lodgings tower.
Step back in time to the 1950s in this fascinating home and photographic studio
Explore the contrasting sides of this house: the neat, professional, spacious business rooms and the cluttered, cramped living quarters of the renowned portrait photographer Edward Chambré Hardman and his wife Margaret. They lived and worked here for 40 years, keeping everything and changing nothing.
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.
The most famous pub in Belfast
Wonderful atmospheric setting, with period gas lighting and cosy snugs. Ornate interior of brightly coloured tiles, carvings and glass.
Fine two-storey granite building dating from c.1537
Dartmoor offers something for everyone; walking, rambling, riding, cycling, running or just plain, good old-fashioned sight-seeing.
Villages and countryside criss-crossed with trails
The Buscot and Coleshill Estates are traditional estates on the edge of Oxfordshire and Wiltshire. They are made up of 7,000 acres, three villages, 850 acres of woodlands and 12 let farms.
We offer free visits to NT education group members, free teacher visits, an education officer to assist with planning, education volunteers and a covered area for picnics and lunches.
Welcome to the award-winning Beatles Story, the world's largest permanent exhibition purely devoted to the lives and times of The Beatles. Located in the Fab Four’s hometown of Liverpool on the stunning UNESCO World heritage site at the Albert Dock, the Beatles Story takes visitors on an atmospheric journey through the lives, times, culture and music of The Beatles.
A combined tour of 'Mendips' and 20 Forthlin Road, Liverpool
Book your tour online now and enjoy the unique experience of a visit to the childhood homes of John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney.
Atmospheric Irish gentry house and wooded riverside estate
Built in the 1820s, this handsome Irish gentry house is surrounded by its 320-acre wooded riverside estate. The former home of the MacGeough Bond family, a tour of this Neo-classical masterpiece reveals it is unchanged since 1900. The eclectic interior still evoking the family's tastes and interests.
Handsome town house, with architectural features from various eras and riverside walled garden
Handsome town house, with architectural features from various eras and a riverside walled garden.
One of the finest examples of Robert Adam's neoclassical architecture in Ireland
One of the few works in Ireland by the renowned Scottish neoclassical architect Robert Adam.
The mausoleum was built in 1789 for the Rt. Hon. Arthur Upton and is situated in the grounds of Castle Upton.
An historical estate with a neo-classical mansion, 50 acres of landscaped gardens, 1000 acres of deer park, a rare breed farm and medieval Old Hall
For nearly 400 years the estate was the property of the Egerton family until it was bequeathed to the National Trust in 1958. It is now financed and maintained by Cheshire East Council. This is one of the most complete historic estates open to visitors.
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.
Tudor house surviving in the heart of a thriving East London community
Built in 1535 by prominent courtier of Henry VIII, Sir Ralph Sadleir, Sutton House retains much of the atmosphere of a Tudor home despite some alterations by later occupants, including a succession of merchants, Huguenot silkweavers, and squatters. Discover oak-panelled rooms, original carved fireplaces and a charming courtyard.
A comfortable home telling the story of a brewer, a widow and three generations of the Lander family
Tucked away on the edge of Wellington is this rare suburban villa and mini-estate. As you walk up the large avenue of Wellingtonia trees the red-brick villa is unexpectedly revealed offering a chance to immerse yourself in a past era.
Come and discover two contrasting experiences sitting side by side
Late 17th-century house with lavish interiors and the Museum of Childhood
The home of a family who lived and loved the Arts & Crafts
Built as a summer home by Arts and Crafts architect-designer Ernest Gimson for his brother Sydney, Stoneywell zigzags from its rocky outcrop, amid rhododendrons and heather. Every turn conjures childhood memories of holiday excitement, dashing down the winding steps –– one way to the fort, the other to the woods beyond.
Welcome to Stonehenge, one of the wonders of the world, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the best-known prehistoric monument in Europe.
Medieval yeoman's house and garden
15th-century half-timbered yeoman's house, featuring a great hall and surrounded by glorious garden, orchard and meadows.
A perfect example of a Wealden Hall-House, it is full of beautiful collections of furniture, wood and metal work.
Wonderful woodland walks over the Otham Valley can begin from here.
14th/15th-century farm buildings, formerly a priest's residence
The priests who lived here served the Chapel of St Nicholas (now destroyed). The Great Hall is open to visitors.
Marrick Priory is a historic 12th century medieval building that was developed in the 1970s into an Outdoor Education and Residential Centre. It is situated in Swaledale in the heart of the beautiful Yorkshire Dales National Park and welcomes groups of visitors from all over the world.
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