Crafts!
Image: a family run together on the grass in front of Down House, Kent

Step into the past this year with our top 5 tips!

This year, you can take your love of history to the next level with our top 5 ways to step into the past! Whether you’re exploring a new English Heritage historical site, getting creative in your kitchen or crafty with cardboard, there are lots of ways to bring your favourite period of history to life. Read this page to find out how.

Image: a family stand on a castle drawbridge

1. Visit an English Heritage site

Stand in the places where history really happened and discover stories of the past for yourself on a visit to an English Heritage site. From castles and ruins to stone circles and houses, there is lots for you to explore this year!

Here’s how you can make the most of your day:

  1. Download one of our spotter guides and take it with you – can you tick off every item on the list?
  2. Set yourself a challenge to find out at least five things new about that place – you might be surprised by what you discover!
  3. Write a diary or journal of your visits in your favourite notebook. You could add drawings and photos to help you remember your visit.
Image: Victorian cook Mrs Crocombe with two boys ion Victorian costume in a Victorian kitchen

2. Try one of our recipes inspired by history

Take a big bite out of history and sample a taste of the past at home by making one of our recipes inspired by history! From medieval pie to Roman burgers and Anglo-Saxon cakes, there are tasty treats from lots of different time periods that you can sink your teeth into – just make sure to ask an adult to help you in the kitchen.

Get more from your menu:

  1. Find out more about the time period your recipe is from. Who might have been eating it in the past?
  2. Make the recipe yourself and have a taste. What do you think? Is it similar or different to the things people eat today?
  3. Share your historical food with family and friends!
Find a recipe
Image: a granddad and granddaughter talk while sat on a wall

3. Interview your grandparents or older relatives

They may not have lived through the Norman Conquest, but your grandparents and older relatives can have lots of interesting stories to tell you about what life was like when they were children. Things might have been more different for them than you think!

Our top tips to being a history detective:

  1. Try asking about big events, technology, or just daily life.
  2. Compare their childhood to your life today. What are the biggest differences?
  3. Write down any stories or facts that you find interesting to help you remember them in the future.
Image: a cardboard castle model

4. Build a model of a historical site

Get crafty and make your own model of a historical building or place. Choose your favourite English Heritage site and look at pictures online or in books to inspire you. Or, use one of our handy guides to help you!

Here are some ideas to help get you started:

  1. Build your own street through time with our easy to make downloadable historical homes, from prehistoric huts to a Victorian factory.
  2. Create a castle out of cardboard, complete with working drawbridge! Follow this simple tutorial.
  3. Try making a Tudor house, with its black beams and white washed walls.
  4. Make a mini-henge: recreate Stonehenge at home using card and boxes, Lego, clay, plasticine or even biscuits – the possibilities are endless!
Image: a group of children dressed as knights are at a castle

5. Dress up as a medieval knight

What better way to step into history than in a medieval knight’s costume? You could even wear your outfit on your next visit to an English Heritage castle and imagine you are off to defend the fortress!

Here’s how to prepare for battle:

  1. Create your own knight’s helmet, sword and shield with our online tutorials and easy to follow instructions.
  2. Learn about heraldry and design your own coat of arms to decorate your shield, so that other knights can recognise you in battle.
  3. Create a knight’s name. You could take inspiration from King Arthur and his knights of the round table, or use a characteristic you want to portray like Henry VIII did in pageants (a bit like musical plays) at the Tudor court, such as Sir Brave or Sir Loyal.