tudor school trips norfolk

Tudor and 17th Century Experience

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Some reviews

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Eating With the Tudors is now available from Amazon and also direct from the publisher, Pen and Sword.

Click on either logo below to go directly to the order page for Pen and Sword or Amazon respectively.

If you want a signed copy please email Brigitte directly by clicking here.   ➛

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If you are interested in a talk related to the book or Tudor food in general, please email Brigitte here to discuss the proposal.

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Please note that all events and activities at the Old Hall are closed until further notice. This is due to health and safety concerns that will need to be addressed before we can re-open. Please sign up to be notified when events and activities resume. Meanwhile do head on over to the  “L ectures and Courses ”  page to check out forth coming lectures offered by Brigitte at outside locations.

Duke of Suffolk Chamber

We have 6 bedrooms available furnished with genuine Tudor and Stuart beds (albeit with the most modern memory foam mattresses for your comfort). Stays will include a range of activities depending on duration and desire; all include home made meals made from authentic Tudor recipes!

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We have a calendar of activities for the year such as our famous Eastertide and Lammas & 12th Night feasts. Attendance at these can be specifically booked or they can be integrated into a stay with us.

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Brigitte Webster has devoted decades into the study of historic food, gardens and early furniture and can offer a number of seminars & courses on these topics. We also have a wealth of contacts able to deliver seminars on a whole range of period related topics.

The Tudor and 17th Century Experience is an exclusive Tudor and 17th Century themed immersion history retreat to the south of Tudor Norwich in Norfolk. We are based in this stunning original Tudor manor house dating from 1514 to enable our guests to really absorb the flavours of life in Tudor England. It is our mission to make your time here as authentic as possible with every attention to detail, from home made food from authentic Tudor and Stuart era recipes to period entertainments. All furniture in the house is period correct from dining to sleeping. Feel free to walk around the beautiful Tudor inspired gardens, indulge in Tudor outdoor pursuits - perhaps even in Tudor costume!

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Old Hall is registered with the Norfolk Screen Location services and offers both interiors and exteriors to the film industry. A link to the location services website is provided below:

  • www.kentwell.co.uk

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  • School Visits

• School Visits to Kentwell

Country life changed little from medical times until the late 19th Century. Whatever period you may be studying, a visit to a Kentwell Re-Creation will show your students how people lived and worked in the past. All visiting children (and supervising adults!) are encouraged to come dressed in simple period-type clothes to enhance their visit. As one visiting child once put it: "it's like becoming part of the story". Most schoolchildren remember a visit to a Kentwell Re-Creation for the rest of their lives.

Kentwell's re-creations are unique. They offer a scale and depth unmatched anywhere, giving total immersion in the sights, sounds and smells of the past.

An unrivalled experience for students from KS1 through to GCSE - certainly the best enrichment study for any class studying History.

THE 2022 SCHOOLS PROGRAMME

Mon 26 & Tue 27 September 2022 Tudor Living History Days

A visit to a real Tudor Manor in Tudor England! Over 100 costumed characters from all levels of society make up a working community - the best enrichment for the study of history. A fully interactive experience with many hands-on activities, alI set in the year 1549 and spread throughout the house, gardens, and farm. Spend a day at Kentwell and travel through time....

Find out more on prices and how to book

What will happen on the day?

Please email [email protected] or call 01787 310207 to find out more about our events, or to make your booking!

  • Schools Events This Year
  • Nursery & KS1 Adventures
  • GCSE Elizabethan England
  • About Kentwell
  • What a visit involves
  • What the Teachers say
  • Map of Kentwell Manor

All images and text © Kentwell Hall, Long Melford, Suffolk CO10 9BA

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Tudors & Elizabethans

Interactive living history visits.

Stories, Artefacts, Costumes, Coin Making

and a whole lot of 15th century history.

Explore the day to day life of the 

Tudor court and peasants.

What did The Tudors wear?

What did they eat?

Did they ever have a bath?

How comfortable was their armour?

Find out all this and more with our engaging workshop days hosted by members of the Tudor court.

Available as assembly visits, half days and full days.

Although we are West Midlands/Shropshire based, our team are available to travel UK wide.   

How much will it cost?

Workshop options begin at £325 for a half day or £530 for a full day available UK Wide with an assembly only option for those in the Shropshire / Wolverhampton Area.

What is included?

Experienced educators, who arrive in full costume, all Performing Arts trained, who really bring history to life!

A smooth booking process with our quality badge holding educate team.

A welcome presentation, looking at what happened whe n the Tudors were around and where they sit in the Brit ish History Timeline.

Every participating student will be able to witness how a coin is made via our Coin Striking kit and be able to take home a 'silver' coin with an authentic design from the Tudor era featuring Henry VIII's head.

An array of artefacts and toys to pick up and try!

A 'Danger Table' featuring replica weapons - learn the names of different pieces and what they were used for.

Wool Spinning - learn how clothes were made.

Authentic games.

Quill Writing.

Photo opportunity in our very own Pillory! - Learn what silly laws people had to obey to avoid ending up in them.

Role Play and drama opportunities.

Optional add on activities like a Tudor Dance lesson! 

See our FAQ page for further information. 

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Kenninghall: A Magnificent Tudor Time Capsule

How would you like to explore a Tudor time capsule? Kenninghall is one such place, even though there is little left to see today, and the time capsule must exist only in your mind’s eye. However, once upon a time, it was the principal country residence of the mighty Howard family, including its head, Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. But why is this place so special if there is nothing more to see than a small fragment of the building incorporated into a modern-day farmhouse?

Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, owner of Kenninghall.

The answer lies in the extraordinary events which befell the Howard clan on Sunday, 12 December 1546. On that day, the Duke and his eldest son, another Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey, were arrested on charges of high treason and sent to the Tower. On the same day, three royal commissioners, John Gate, Sir Richard Southwell and Wymond Carew, were dispatched, all haste, from the Council in London to the Howard residence at Kenninghall, in Norfolk. Their job was to seize and make an inventory of all the Duke’s goods and those of the other family members who were in residence at the time. 

I have long wanted to learn more about Kenninghall but found little online until I came across the work of the historian, Nikki Clarke. Nikki is a Senior Lecturer in Medieval & Early Modern History at Chichester University. I will talk to her about Kenninghall in this month’s Tudor History & Travel Show as she is particularly interested in the Howards – and Howard women. It was her blog that made me aware of the existence of the Kenninghall inventory. After having invested a substantial amount of money to get a copy from the National Archives in Kew for myself (!), my prayers were answered. Thanks to one of the most complete inventories taken during the period (which runs to 145 pages), we are treated to a lavish record of a house frozen in time. It is AMAZING!

I am still learning to read old English. So, deciphering the inventories was challenging, and I have yet to figure out some details! However, determined, I managed to work through the main headings, which list the rooms of Tudor Kenninghall. In time, I hope to revisit this blog and enrich it (or even write another one) with more detail about the items found in each room.

The Kenninghall Inventory

The Commissioners are Dispatched

Having left London between 3-4 pm on Saturday, 12 December, the commissioners record in a letter to the King’s Council that they reached Thetford, ‘seven miles from Kennynghall’ on Monday. Completing the last leg of their journey, they finally arrived at the Duke of Norfolk’s house the following morning (the 14 December) at daybreak, ‘thus bringing the first news of the Duke and his son.’

As we will hear, the household was quickly secured, the three men ‘taking order of the gates and back doors’ before the two principal ladies of the house, Mary Fitzroy, Duchess of Richmond and Bess Holland, the Duke’s longstanding mistress, were called to meet with the three men in the dining chamber. They had only just arisen from their beds.

Hearing of the news of her father and brother, Mary was ‘sore perplexed, trembling and like to fall down’. However, she recovered and, dropping ‘reverently upon her knees, humbled herself to the King, saying that although constrained by nature to love her father, whom she ever thought a true subject, and her brother, “whom she noteth to be a rash man,” she would conceal nothing but declare in writing all she can remember.’

Mary, Duchess of Richmond.

As with Wolsey’s arrest at Cawood (where we have another florid description of what came to pass), it is likely that the household, from the highest to the lowest, was kept under close watch while the house was thoroughly searched, and an inventory taken of each chamber and its contents. With the household taken entirely off-guard, there was no time to squirrel away any household contents. So, the record we are left with from that day is priceless!

Kenninghall: A Stately Mansion

Kenninghall lay directly west of the Thetford. Before the Dissolution of the Monasteries, it was home to Thetford Priory, containing the mausoleum of the Howards. Henry Fitzroy, the young Duke of Richmond and Mary Howard’s late husband was buried there in 1533. Of course, on account of the Dissolution, Fitzroy’s tomb, and eventually those of the 3rd Duke and the Earl of Surrey, ended up at the new family mausoleum at Framlingham Church, in Suffolk, adjacent to another Howard stronghold – Framlingham Castle.

The Tomb of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk

About one mile from the nearest town, Kenninghall was surrounded by a 700-acre deer park, with woodland and groves protecting it on its north side. There had been a house of significance on the site since Anglo-Saxon times, with Kenninghad meaning ‘King’s House’. At the time of the inventory, there is a record of the house being arranged in an ‘H’ Shape (‘H’ for ‘Howard’ possibly?) with a central cross-range connecting two other ranges running north-south. One of these faced east and the other west.

The inventory also clarifies that most of the principal ranges had three storeys. The remains of Kenninghall today (see image below) are brick-built with the typical Tudor diapering pattern evident on the gable end, indicating how the house’s exterior once looked.

tudor school trips norfolk

Although we do not know the exact floorplan of the house from the inventory, the commissioners seem to have worked their way logically through the house, recording each chamber and its contents meticulously as one room followed another. This leaves us with at least some clue as to its overall layout.

The Kenninghall Inventory

According to the inventory, the chapel was the first target of the commissioners’ attention. Here we have items listed in the body of the church and the belfry (where numerous copes, canopies and altar clothes were found). Three further chambers are recorded as adjoining the chapel. Nikki Clarke notes that these chambers accommodated the priest, master of the children (the choir) of the chapel and the choir themselves.

Norfolk’s chapel at Kenninghall was particularly extensive and well-endowed, with only the most wealthy and prestigious able to keep an entire chapel retinue as part of their private household. Another household that comes to mind (outside of the King’s) was Margaret Beaufort’s, who kept a similar arrangement at her primary country residence at Collyweston , in Northamptonshire.

Continuing with the inventory, oddly, the nursery is listed next. From John Gate’s letter to the Council in London, we know that Lady Surrey (the Earl of Surrey’s wife) and her children were in residence when the commissioners pitched up at the front gates of Kenninghall. He mentions them in passing after the inventory has been taken and plans were well underway to ship off the Duchess of Richmond and Bess Holland to London for questioning.

In the letter, he states, ‘Now that only the Earl of Surrey’s wife and children, and certain women attending upon them in the nursery, remain here, it is to be known whether the household shall not be partly dissolved, reserving such as seem meet to attend upon the Earl’s wife, who looks to lie in at Candlemas next.’ Francis, Countess of Surrey, was over seven months pregnant with her fifth child at the time. Goodness knows how she must have been feeling!

Frances de Vere, Lady Surrey

The washhouse is listed next, perhaps this was part of the outer courtyard and the service buildings associated with the house; pages listing linen, tablecloths and napkins are recorded. The Great Hall follows and is noted to contain, amongst other items, tables and cupboards, presumably used for displaying plate. Although we cannot say so for sure, it might be expected that the great hall occupied the cross-range of the ‘H-shaped’ building, as was frequently the case with Tudor houses of the same scale as Kenninghall.

At the first floor level (‘the second’ according to the Tudors – and also our modern US friends!) we learn of the Great Chamber, presumably, a kind of presence chamber, where the Duke would have formally received visitors and heard petitions. This sat directly above the ground-floor chapel and seems to have led into a dining chamber or privy chamber, just as we would expect in a high-status house . It was in the dining chamber, of course, that Gate and his companions’ letter tells us that he had his first encounter with the Duchess of Richmond and Bess Holland.

The inventory also tells us that the usual sequence of privy rooms existed at Kenninghall. This is clear from the next set of rooms recorded; those of the Duchess of Richmond, who had not only a privy (outer) chamber but a bedchamber, inner chamber, a closet and a chamber for her maid, apparently adjoining her rooms. Close by, and perhaps linked to the Duchess’ chambers, was the ‘Press Gallery’. Nikki Clarke postulates that, presumably, this contained presses for keeping clothes. According to the commissioners, having searched Mary’s lodgings, they ‘find nothing worth sending, all being very bare and her jewels sold to pay her debts’. Poor Mary!

On the floor directly above Mary Fitzroy’s lodgings were those of the Duke of Norfolk himself; an outer chamber, bedchamber, an inner chamber and closet are listed. Numerous other chambers are also noted at this point. Nikki Clark states that ‘to judge by their contents, one was used by his son the Earl of Surrey, and another (‘the inner chamber’) by his mistress Elizabeth Holland’. What is most breathtaking, though, are the pages and pages detailing the clothing, jewels and plate being kept by the Duke at Kenninghall; gold, rubies, diamonds and garnets set in collars, rings, billaments and brooches. One day, I will transcribe the whole lot! And, let’s remember that Kenninghall was not the only property belonging to Thomas Howard. What is listed there, is indicative of just a fragment of his wealth.

On the floor above the Duke’s was his mistress’ lodgings. These stacked lodgings had been fashionable in the early sixteenth-century and perhaps Bess, who had been in a relationship with the Duke for some 20 years, had long since occupied the Duchess of Norfolk’s chambers. An outer chamber, bedchamber and her maiden’s chamber are listed, followed immediately by a ‘garret’ and a ‘turret’ room ‘at the short gallery end’. All these rooms seem to have been easily accessed by, or part of, Bess’ lodgings at Kenninghall. A ubiquitous long gallery is also listed alongside the ‘Short Gallery’. The long gallery is noted as having a closet at one end.

Bess Holland had more to lose from the Duke’s downfall than his daughter, Mary. While the Duke seems to have allowed Mary to slip into relative poverty, this was far from the case with Bess. The inventory makes it clear that she had been generously endowed by the Duke. However, not only were her rooms turned upside down but according to the commissioners’ letter, Gate and his men even searched Elizabeth Holland herself (‘then searched Elizabeth Holland’ – although I do wonder if this is meant to read, ‘then searched Elizabeth Holland’s rooms’). Regardless, they found ‘girdles, beads, buttons of gold, pearl and rings set with divers stones’. Gate records that ‘a book is being made’ listing all her possession and that ‘trusty servants’ had been dispatched to a new house that had been given to her by the Duke in Suffolk and which was thought to be ‘well-furnished’.

Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, probably born at Kenninghall

In another part of the building, on the ground floor and off a courtyard called the ‘Ewery Court’, were a whole host of service offices and lodgings for various household officers. On the first floor (the second story, according to the inventory) was the Earl of Surrey’s lodgings: ‘The Lord Thomas” chambers, as well as ‘The Lord Howard’s’ Chambers’ (possibly belonging to another member of the Howard family). Surrey’s lodgings were also extensive: an outer chamber, inner chamber, upper chamber and bedchamber are all recorded. In the same part of the building, the ‘Old Garderobe’ [Wardrobe] and the ‘Old Chapel’ are also mentioned. This hints at the layout of the old house, before the 3rd Duke’s extensive renovations.

Meanwhile, Back in London…

Meanwhile, around 100 miles away in London, Thomas Howard was finally getting a taste of his own medicine. As his properties and possessions were being seized and his lands and titles being confiscated, he wrote to Henry VIII, begging for the king’s grace. At the same time, from a cell somewhere nearby, Surrey is writing to the Council, requesting that they hear his case directly. They do not know that the Duchess of Richmond and Bess Holand will soon be shipped to London to give evidence against her father, brother and lover. The cogs of the Tudor state had begun to turn against them, and the outcome was almost inevitable.

Surrey was executed, having been found guilty of treason on Tower Hill on 19 January 1547. Norfolk, that wily Duke who had presided over the death of his niece, Anne Boleyn, danced with death. However, he nimbly avoided a date with the executioner only on account of the fact that Henry VIII died the day before he was due to walk to the scaffold. Nevertheless, Kenninghall was forfeit and handed over to the Lady Mary (Henry VIII’s daughter), thus adding to her estates in Norfolk and Suffolk. Interestingly, the house would play a central role six years later at a critical moment in Mary’s story.

Mary I of England

Mary Declares herself Queen at Kenninghall.

During the tense two weeks after the death of Edward VI, when Lady Jane Grey briefly felt the crown of England touch her head, Kenninghall was once again at the centre of the action. Mary was fond of the house and fled there, having heard of the plot to seize her by the Duke of Northumberland and the Council. She arrived on 9 July 1553. Mary had been joined along the way by increasing loyal followers. Once at the house, an armed camp grew up around the grounds and lands immediately surrounding Kenninghall.

Shortly after her arrival, Mary received confirmation that the rumours of her half-brother’s death were true. She gathered the household in the abovementioned great chamber and declared herself the new Queen of England. Excellent news for the Catholic Duke of Norfolk, still waiting in the Tower! He was soon released and officiated at Mary’s coronation on 1 October 1553. His last engagement on behalf of the Crown was to play his part in suppressing the Wyatt rebellion in 1554. However, no doubt weary of court life, Thomas Howard crawled back to Kenninghall and died there in his bedchamber on 25 August 1554.

After the 3rd Duke’s death, Kenninghall passed to his grandson, the new 4th Duke of Norfolk, who spent time at the house before his execution in 1572. According to Blomefield: ‘It continued in the Norfolk family as their capital seat in this county, till about 90 years since [circa 1650-1700], when it was pulled down, and the materials sold for a trifle, with which great numbers of chimnies and walls in the neighbourhood are built, as is evident from the  Mowbrays  and  Arundels  arms which are upon the bricks.’

All that remains today is part of a service range incorporated into a farmhouse, ending another great Tudor house. But let us at least be thankful that, unlike so many others, the Norfolk’s misfortune of 1546 was our good fortune and that the Kenninghall inventory has left us with an incredible picture of a magnificent Tudor palace frozen in time.

The Kenninghall Inventory. The National Archives (LR 115, 116 and 117)

Frock N’Scroll: A blog by Nikki Clarke, Kenninghall Inventory 1546 – Part 1

The Letters and Papers of Henry VIII

An Essay Towards A Topographical History of the County of Norfolk: Volume 1 , by Francis Blomefield. Originally published by W Miller, London, 1805.

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I’ve read your page with interest since in our local history of Beckenham Kent, one Humphrey Style who died in 1718 mentions Kenning Hall Place as his residence at the time of his death where he was living with a Frances Shippe who appears to be a mistress or common law wife. Humphrey had inherited Langley Place in Beckenham through his family. And possibly Langley is another lost Tudor mansion. The impression I get from this article is that Kenning Hall was much reduced in size etc by 1700. I can’t say whether Humphrey Style was tennant or owner of Kenning from his will which is viewable on ancestry.co.uk but he leaves money and household items to Francis Shippe describing items ‘in and about my now dwelling house or apartment at Kenning Hall Place Norfolk”.

I think it probably was much reduced by that time. Interesting. Thanks for commenting.

Hi Sarah, did you ever manage to transcribe the Howard inventory and did you publish it on the website? I am doing some research on Mary H and would love to check it out it if it is available in a book or online anywhere

Sadly, ‘no’…maybe when I am retired! ?. I’d still love to but I’d need to learn secretary script before tackling the 200 plus pages!

I’ve transcribed a 1622 inventory for another house. Maybe I should give this one a go.

Hi Aly! Maybe if I share the inventory with you (which cost quite a bit to buy fro the NA), you could transcribe it and share it with me? if you are interested, let me know!

I was brought up at Kenninghall, Place farm as it was known then . My FatherJames Wood “Jimmy”” took over the tenancy in 1945/6 having relocated from Westmorland (Cumbria) . Finding the farm in a state of dilapidation he and the staff worked wonders making the farm a profitable mixed farm the same family of men worked for him until his death in 1980. He was very respected in the community of Kenninghall and district.

What great memories! I wish the people who owned it now were more interested in history and welcoming to those of us who would love to see what’s left – even from the outside!

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“The remains of Kenninghall Palace see image below” features in this article but i have not been able to find it. Would be very interested to see it please.

Hi Elly, I have updated the blog and inserted the only picture I know that is out there of what remains of the palace. It is far from perfect but the owners are very private and I understand hostile to people interested in exploring its past. Hence the paucity of images available.

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Britain's best Tudor experiences

Unearth six of the best Tudor experiences in Britain, from walking among the yew pyramids of Athlehampton in Dorset to sampling 500-year-old recipes at Merchant's House in Pembrokeshire

Abigail Whyte

1. Yew pyramids – Athelhampton, Dorset

tudor school trips norfolk

The Great Hall of this 15th-century manor is pure Tudor sumptuousness , with its fine tapestries, heraldic stained glass and roaring fire in the hearth. But Athelhampton ’s crowning glory has to be the 20 acres of gardens, featuring a court of yew pyramids . Take an amble alongside the delightfully named River Piddle as it winds through the grounds.

2. Wolf Hall costumes – Barley Hall, Yorkshire

tudor school trips norfolk

See the magnificent costumes from BBC Tudor drama Wolf Hall , which are on display in this medieval townhouse until March next year. The clothes form part of a permanent exhibition about York in the time of Henry VIII. Barley Hall itself lay hidden under an office block until the 1980s and has since been rebuilt to reflect its 14th- and 15th-century origins.

3. Hide in a priest hole – Speke Hall, Liverpool

tudor school trips norfolk

The devout Catholic Norris family built this imposing mansion during an era of turbulence, so included a number of security features. Among them, a priest hole, where visiting clerics hid from the authorities. There is also an eavesdropper – a hole under the eaves for servants to listen to the conversations of visitors at the front door. Find out more here .

4. Anne Boleyn’s home – Hever Castle, Kent

tudor school trips norfolk

Hever echoes childhood doodles of a dream castle – it has crenellated towers and not just one moat, but two. It was the childhood home of Anne Boleyn, doomed second wife of Henry VIII and mother of Elizabeth I. To enter her bedroom and see her treasured prayer book is to feel a step closer to this enigmatic woman. learn more about Hever Castle .

5. Merchant’s House – Tenby, Pembrokeshire

tudor school trips norfolk

Tenby was a busy port in the 15th century, and its streets bustled with trade. Tudor Merchant’s House reflects this commercial era, when a merchant did indeed live here. Visitors can sample 500-year-old recipes and try on clothes in the bedchamber.

6. Chapel in the Woods – Cotehele, Cornwall

tudor school trips norfolk

The gardens of Cotehele House descend the deep valley down to the River Tamar, and feature a medieval stew pond, dovecote and an array of exotic plants. You’ll also find the Chapel in the Woods , built by Sir Richard Edgecumbe on the very spot he escaped death during his rebellion against Richard III.

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tudor school trips norfolk

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The year is 1536 - Henry VIII is in the twenty-seventh year of his reign, and three years into his second marriage. But an unexpected twist of fate will see a sudden change in fortune for all associated with Queen Anne. You will find themselves in the midst of intrigue as they assist the servants of the Brereton household in their efforts to unearth the truth which might save their master’s family.

Hear of disturbing events unfolding at court; encounter desperate monks fleeing from Norton Priory, and decipher the charred fragments of a mysterious letter. One of your students may well be accused of a crime, for which their actual innocence cannot protect them in these unstable times. Current research has established an exciting connection between the Brereton family and the real events that shook the kingdom during the days of Anne Boleyn’s downfall. This programme enables students to engage in practical hands on activities necessary to the running of a Tudor household.

Tudor

Learning Outcomes:

Group size:.

This programme can accommodate 12-228 children . You will be allocated to a site (either Old Hall or Farm) depending on your group size and our availability.

Please note that groups of 100+ can only be supported from mid June - end of July. For large groups, period music and/or a falconry demonstration can be arranged for an additional charge.

Activities:

The programme will be mainly held outside (weather depending), so our team make a final decision about specific activities on the morning of the event. However, typical activities include: spinning, wattle & daub, threshing & winnowing and weapons . Don't worry if the weather is poor, we have an indoor programme that is just as exciting and engaging so you won't miss out!

Our advice is to wear sensible shoes, dress warmly and for the weather. Remember - we are a period site without central heating!

Make an enquiry using our Schools Enquiry form or contact us to discuss your requirements at [email protected] / 01625 374428.

Risk Assessment:

Information about risk assessments and our health and safety procedures for this workshop.

Testimonies

‘Children had a fabulous day! Very interactive and informative. Made children think deeper and ask great questions.’ (Bowker Vale Primary)

‘Highly, highly recommend it. Great excitement created- the children already want to come back! This trip exceeded our expectations. Many thanks.’ (St Mary’s Catholic Primary)

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Henry VIII School Visits

Our Tudor school visit offers an outstanding opportunity for historical enquiry through artefacts.  It is a very special day in school, packed with learning.  Designed so that pupils get the opportunity to meet King Henry VIII, the visit is also very hands-on with lots of short and stimulating workshops.

 In our local area, both of us spend the day in school and can work with several classes at no extra cost.  Greg begins the day as King Henry and will usually change into Henry’s Court Jester, Will Sommers, whilst Lisa delivers as Catherine Parr.  Further afield, the day can easily be adapted for one Specialist to deliver an outstanding Tudor day in school, single-handed.

The royal visitors will lead a series of half hour sessions on a given aspect of Henry’s life or Tudor life in general and, depending on numbers, some of the sessions can be teacher-led to accommodate several classes separately.

Coming face to face really enables a very exciting and direct form of learning, as children interrogate these fascinating characters from history.  Key learning objectives on each wife and other aspects of Henry’s life are always included.

The typical structure for the day is as follows:

tudor school trips norfolk

Feasting Session

Catherine Parr introduces Good King Hal and herself.  Children are dressed in Tudor clothing and work as servants for Henry, laying his table for a fine feast as he introduces the day.

tudor school trips norfolk

Where does the King want his pizzle pot to be placed?!

tudor school trips norfolk

Henry or Catherine display a replica ink well and pounce pot and these are passed around for young scholars to handle, along with an authentically reproduced copy of Gilbertus Angelicus (complete with urine chart and other illuminations!).

A replica horn book is handled, illuminated letters are discussed and children set about copying out the Lord’s Prayer using a class set of goose feather quill pens and ink.

tudor school trips norfolk

Tudor Health

Health & medicine.

Catherine explains the basic (and ancient) concept of the four humours, on which Tudor medicine was based.  Children are asked to chop and grind ingredients in pestle and mortars to make typical and authentic Tudor remedies.  Some of the remedies would actually work for various reasons and these are explored … but Catherine fully expects that raisins, lettuce and petals, ground up and mixed together will cure bubonic plague – so feel free to comment, tutors!

tudor school trips norfolk

Children are taught various Tudor Dances by King Henry, discussing different types and why rich and poor people dance them.  This session works well in a hall and children learn a courtly Pavan; the follow-my-leader-style Farandol and a peasant’s Branle.  (If either Royal personage catches the other dancing a branle, much hilarity ensues!)

Pastimes, Toys & Games

Court Jester, Will Sommers discusses Henry’s failing health and laments his ill humour.  He shows the children some juggling and regrets that the King no longer finds it diverting.  Breughel’s Children’s Games is displayed and games are identified and explained for children to play.  An outstanding collection of replica toys is available for children to enjoy.

tudor school trips norfolk

Crime & Punishment

Depending on numbers, this session can be teacher-led.  Children engage in matching activities looking at individual Tudor “crimes” and how they were likely to be punished.  Optionally, classes can re-enact scenes in groups as role play activities, linking to PSHE.

tudor school trips norfolk

Tudor Rose Badge Making

Whilst the heraldry of the houses of York and Lancaster are discussed, a Yorkist livery badge of the Rose En Soleil and a Tudor Rose shield can be passed around.  Children then craft their own Tudor Rose Badge, with paper or card, pens or pencils to be provided in school, please.  (We provide safety pins but will doubtless be bamboozled by any mention of sticky tape!)

  In schools where teachers have already included Tudor Roses in their planning, we can offer a session on Heraldry as an alternative.  Children explore the meanings of different ordinaries, colours and heraldic symbols and design their own coat of arms.

tudor school trips norfolk

Storytelling

tudor school trips norfolk

We usually end the day with groups back together in the hall for storytelling and/or a Mummers’ Play of the Battle of Bosworth which underlines some of the learning from the day in a lighthearted fashion as confident children are asked to get involved in telling the tale.

We work fully in role as King Henry and his wife. This means that we use our subject knowledge to respond to questions and talk as they would do. To achieve this we use a medieval-flavoured pattern of speech to lend a realistic feel to our words whilst remaining clear enough for children to understand. The overall experience for children is then an immersive one where they feel they have truly met Henry and gained a picture of his life. The sessions are interactive and involve all of the children.

The day is fully risk assessed and this can be emailed upon request.  Confirmation of booking is taken as a contract between the school and The Specialists and acceptance of our T & C’s .

Greg and Lisa McCarthy have many years of experience working with children. Greg is a teacher and Lisa a former Occupational Therapist in learning disabilities. Both have DBS and public liability insurance.

Tudor school visits for education.  We provide a living history and reenactment service as historical interpreters focusing on Henry VIII and his wives.  Our Tudor sessions use dance, writing using quill pens and artefacts such as toys and games, badges and feasting objects for the Tudor table etc. to bring the excitement of real history to your classroom.

tudor school trips norfolk

Some of the locations we travel to for our Tudor workshops are:

East-Midlands, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Warwickshire, Leamington, Leicester, Hinckley, Nottingham, Coventry, Birmingham, Tamworth, Derbyshire, Chesterfield, Ilkeston, Swadlincote, Nottinghamshire, Derby, Mansfield, Worksop, Newark, Loughborough, Melton Mowbray, Coalville, Lutterworth, Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough, Nuneaton,  Solihull, Warwick, Rugby, West Midlands.

tudor school trips norfolk

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Bursaries Available!

Tudors at the charterhouse.

School Trips

Bursaries Available! London & South East Greater London History Tudors SEN KS3

Why book 'Tudors at the Charterhouse' for School Trips and Educational Visits?

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What activities are available during group visits?

Which curriculum subjects do you cater for, what size groups do you cater for, do you offer on-site classroom facilities, is there first aid on site, do you offer access for visitors with disabilities, do you cater for visitors with special educational needs (sen).

Yes, both the Charterhouse and Museum of London are delighted to welcome SEND groups for individual visits.

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