Above all, the Royal Yacht Britannia was home for the British Royal Family. Now permanently berthed in Edinburgh’s historic port of Leith, you can step aboard and experience this floating palace for yourself.
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
This small museum is the only one in Scotland dedicated to Freemasonry. The collection consists of ceramics, glassware and assorted artefacts relating to Freemasonry as well as the oldest Masonic records in the world, dating from 1598.
An outstanding centre for art and ideas, the public art gallery of The University of Edinburgh, Talbot Rice Gallery presents original and relevant exhibitions within a unique historical context. The exhibitions exemplify creativity and ambition, seen through a distinctive programme of Scottish and International artists, with informed interpretation and lively educational events.
Surgeons' Hall Museum is the major medical museum in Scotland, and one of Edinburgh's many tourist attractions. The museum is recognised as a collection of national significance by the Scottish Government.
An important collection of early keyboard instruments including clavichords, chamber organs and early pianos housed in a restored Georgian concert hall, built in 1762 by Robert Mylne to a unique oval plan. Paintings, textiles and tapestries are also exhibited. Musical events are held throughout the year.
Since 1826, the Academy has occupied William Henry Playfair’s magnificent landmark building on the Mound, Edinburgh. The RSA is at the forefront of promoting living artists in Scotland, through its Annual Exhibition and a series of temporary exhibitions and events.
The Regimental museum is housed in Edinburgh Castle and through paintings, artefacts, silver and medals a fascinating story is told, from formation to the present day, a story which mirrors the fortunes of the country. Whether in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa or the Americas, members of the Regiment have followed the flag in the service of their country.
A wide range of regimental artefacts spanning 330 years of history
Visit the Museum of the famous Royal Scots Dragoon Guards in Edinburgh Castle. Experience over 300 years of history from Scotland's only Cavalry Regiment. See the captured enemy standard from the Battle of Waterloo.
Edinburgh University Collection of Historic Musical Instruments ranks among the world's most important collections of musical heritage. All the main types or musical sound-making device are represented, and are presented to the public in two museums. The c.
Queensferry Museum helps visitors to explore the past and traditions of historic Queensferry and neighbouring Dalmeny.
You can learn about the construction of the Forth Rail and Road Bridges before viewing the real thing through our picture windows that look over the Forth. A telescope helps you to get a closer look at the Bridges and our local wildlife.
Prestongrange is a site of major importance in the story of Scotland’s Industrial Revolution. Visitors can discover the story of the harbour, glass works, pottery, colliery and brickworks. A Cornish Beam Engine is available to visit via a guided tour. The Visitor Centre includes an exhibition area, shop and café.
The People’s Story explores the lives of Edinburgh’s ordinary people at work and play from the late 18th century to today. Visitors can see displays showing a bookbinder’s workshop, a wartime kitchen and much more, all packed with real objects. You can even see a former jail, an original part of this historic building.
The National Mining Museum Scotland is the national coal mining museum for Scotland and cares for the Lady Victoria Colliery and the national coal mining collections. The collections at the museum comprise over 60,000 items, including objects, archive material, photographs and books.
We tell the story of tin and copper mining in Cornwall with daily demonstrations of a working mill
The oldest complete mine site in Cornwall, King Edward Mine Museum in Troon, near Camborne specialises in the history of Cornish mining, telling the remarkable story of how the mine has survived for 100 years. In the tin processing mill machinery can be seen in action just as it would have been in the early 1900s.
Hayle Heritage Centre highlights some significant events in the history of Hayle. There is a permanent core exhibition and a rolling programme of temporary exhibitions and workshops.
Scotland's largest library
The National Library of Scotland is Scotland’s largest library. As well around 14 million printed items, we have over 100,000 manuscripts, around two million maps, and 25,000 newspaper and magazine titles. We receive roughly 320,000 new items every year, and have material in 490 languages.
The library has extensive collections and a comprehensive online catalogue.
Musselburgh Museum offers a fascinating visit for all ages. Discover the history of the Honest Toun from its earliest days, through Roman settlement and medieval upheaval, to its fame as a thriving fishing harbour and valuable industrial site. The museum has a programme of changing displays and exhibitions, so there is always something new to see. There are also activities for children.
The museum, at the Head Office of Scotland’s oldest bank, traces the history of banking and money through the story of the company.
This fascinating museum takes a fresh look at money – and much, much more. Art & design, technology, crime, trade and security – all feature in the story of money. We are open throughout the year and admission is FREE.
The history of the first municipal fire brigade in Europe and fire fighting in Edinburgh between 1824 and the 1940s. Created through the display of fire engines, equipment and uniforms.
The Museum of Edinburgh is the City’s treasure box - a maze of historic rooms crammed full of iconic objects from the Capital’s past.
Find out about the history of Edinburgh from the earliest times to the present day. Discover more about the city, its people, crafts and trades and the beautiful objects they created.
Described as 'the noisiest museum in the world', the Museum of Childhood in Edinburgh is a favourite with adults and children alike. It is a treasure house, crammed full of objects telling of childhood, past and present.
Young people can learn about the children of the past and see a fantastic range of toys and games, while adults enjoy a trip down memory lane.
Using artefacts, illustrations and video and audio presentations, The Linlithgow Story at Annet House Museum tells of the town, its people and trades and its connections with Scotland’s Stewart kings. The peaceful garden has been restored and has fine views across the rooftops to the ruined Linlithgow Palace and St. Michael’s Church.
Numismatics
When you step inside Lauriston Castle, you see it just as it was in 1926, when it was left to the nation by the last private owner, Mrs Reid.
Step back in time in this extraordinary Tudor castle on the edge of the Cotswolds. This hotel offers the perfect luxurious retreat – combining 500-year-old architecture with sumptuous facilities.
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