As part of our History focus, Battles Kings and Castles, the Year 2 children had a fantastic opportunity to visit Rockingham Castle in Northamptonshire where they could explore what life what life in 1066.
Our tour guides expertly told us about the everyday life from the medieval times and we were all glad we live in the 21st century, especially as it is very cold in castles!
The most exciting parts of the trip was visiting the dungeon to see what happened to captured knights, the amazing views of the countryside from the tall turret and exploring the gardens in the afternoon hunting for clues to a made-up crime. The views from the turret gave the children an understanding of why the mote and baily castle was built on the hill as it served to warn the owners of approaching attackers so it was a better place of protection from enemies.
The children loved wearing the heavy, iron helmets to see what it would be like to be a knight and seeing how food was prepared in the huge, original kitchen. The children were also shown a mini street inside the castle where there was a baker, a malt house and a butchers – we thought their food was very limited compared to our modern-day choices.
Outside the castle, the children also saw the Victorian ice-house that once provided the owners with ice since freezers had not been invented yet.
The children loved their trip as the experience of travelling in a coach and being together with friends was equally important so West Town would like to thank every parent that contributed to making this possible for them.
Year 2 Team
