Beeston Castle
Chester - CW6 9TX
Bookings: 01904 601917
Ruins of medieval fortress with great views, 30 acres of restored grounds and remarkable wildlife.
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Life during the Civil War in Cheshire (in partnership with Stretton Watermill)
Key Stage: 2,3, History
TBC .
When: From April 2009
Duration: full day -
Touching the past
Key Stage: 1,2,3 History, Science, Literacy
How can the past can be pieced together? What materials are objects made from and what do they tell us? Explore what life was like at Beeston Castle from the Iron Age through to the present using real archaeological finds and handling and comparing different objects. Creative activities bring the objects to life, helping students imagine how they might have been used in everyday life in the past. Use this session to increase skills in observation through describing and sorting objects and materials. It will also help to develop understanding of the significance of Beeston Castle as a historical site, including archaeological evidence found at the site and changes over different time periods.
Combine this Discovery Visit with "The fortress castle" for what one student has described as "the best day out I've ever had".
When: By arrangement
Duration: ¾ hour or 1¼ hours -
The fortress castle
Key Stage: 1,2,3 History, Literacy. This session can be adapted to suit each key stage.
Explore this hill-top fortress through dressing-up and role play. Travel back in time, looking for evidence in the remains to help discover key events and form conclusions about daily life for the castle's inhabitants. Artists' illustrations, photographs and role-play are used to explore how this castle changed over time. Knowledge and understanding of key events such as the English Civil War is placed in context and the lives of ordinary men and women are explored through object investigation. This session can be adapted to suit each key stage.
When: By arrangement
Duration: ¾ hour -
Become a medieval engineer
Key Stage: 1,2 History, Science, Design Technology
How did people from the past build bridges, towers and siege engines? Become a real engineer in practical workshops exploring how our ancestors solved construction problems. Using a large-scale construction kit, this is literally a hands-on history experience! Explore the main features of the castle in an interactive tour, relating these to methods of attack and defence and construction. Working in groups, use Tac-Tic (plastic construction materials) to build a successful bridge alongside the castle walls, exploring how medieval engineers faced and solved the same problems. A second activity involves building a catapult and taking part in a bean-bag-throwing challenge, identifying features of successful warfare and forces in the process.
When: 6 July 2010
Duration: 2 hours
