Form 3’s Castle Adventure

On Tuesday 16th June, the students in Form Three visited Conisbrough Castle near Doncaster as part of their Medieval topic in History.  
They have been learning all about what castle life was like during the medieval era and a ‘Meet the Medievals’ workshop at the castle helped to consolidate their learning in a fun and interactive way.  The children were divided into groups and had to give short presentations after working out what would have happened in different rooms within the castle using a bag of clues.  The peasants group discovered how smelly and unpleasant the dungeons would have been with rats scuttling around in the sewage that would have leaked from the overflowing toilet.  The lords group had the chance to tell everyone all about the banquets in the great hall and the kitchens, with its great fireplace, was investigated by the final group.  With rotten meat disguised by adding extra herbs and spices, it is no wonder medieval health was not good!  The children also enjoyed exploring the castle keep and learning about each of the rooms inside it.  The garderobe (toilet) was a particular attraction and the children learned how young children got the very unpleasant job of being lowered down the chute to clean them.  
The last hour of the day was devoted to developing the children’s art skills as they drew the castle from a lovely sunny spot on the hill. The magnificent cylindrical keep at the heart of Conisbrough Castle is one of South Yorkshire’s most striking landmarks and as they drew, the children were able to imagine the busy bustling place it would have been eight hundred years ago.