9 May 2023
To support their A Level coursework, Lower Sixth historians visited Hampton Court Palace on Wednesday 3 May, where they immersed themselves in the Tudor period through sessions with a specialist historian, a tour of the palace and the use of contemporary sources.
Imo P, Lower Sixth
Our trip to Hampton Court Palace was incredible. We learnt so much for our A Level coursework on the Mid-Tudor Crisis, which I knew very little about before this eye-opening experience. We spent some of the day in a classroom learning about the background of the crisis and the people involved, however, we were also able to spend time exploring the palace. I really enjoyed the interactive experiences, where we role-played as royals (I played the young King Edward VI). The trip was amazing and has inspired me to visit Hampton Court again during the write-up of my coursework.
Anisia G, Lower Sixth
Our trip to Hampton Court Palace began when we met at the gates, where we admired the beautiful façade of the palace and walked to a statue of a unicorn (which, honestly, looked nothing like a unicorn). The first half of the day focused on the reasons behind the Reformation. We listened to an interesting presentation about the topic, which gave useful background knowledge when we later explored the palace and looked at sources connected to the topic. We all contributed to in-depth conversations about the causes and had the chance to act out some of the written sources. After a break for lunch, when some of us picnicked in the gardens and others explored the grounds, we listened a presentation on the Mid-Tudor Crisis before evaluating contemporary source material to decide to what extent it was a crisis. We enjoyed our time learning in this beautiful location and our visit was extremely helpful in preparing us for our coursework, while also giving us new perspectives on a well-known historical site.
