Year Seven – Trip to Warwick Castle

On Friday the 20^th of June, the Year Seven students of Kesteven and Sleaford High School went to Warwick Castle on a school trip. This fun experience was organised by Mr. Dennis from the History Department so that the pupils could learn about the historical significance of Warwick Castle. We learnt basic facts like how it was built in 1080 and that it was a ‘Motte and Bailey’ style castle, alongside more detailed facts like all its various defence mechanisms and battles.

In this article, you will discover more about the journey the Year Seven students went on when learning about the life of Warwick Castle.

By Evelyn H

Castle features and the castle itself:

Warwick Castle was built in the 1080s to protect the country from threats like the Vikings. The castle has several defensive features to protect its occupants, such as its two main towers “Caesars” and “Guys”. The towers’ octagonal design helped them withstand explosions; this defensive feature, combined with the thick walls of the towers, protected the guards during an attack. Slit windows prevented enemies' arrows from injuring the archers inside. Like many other features of the castle, the windows gave the defenders the advantage and allowed them to fire without being fired upon. The narrow staircases were also designed to benefit the defenders, allowing those at the top to swing their sword, or draw their bows, when their enemies could not. Overall, I was impressed with the intelligent use of architectural features so early on in England, and how much of the castle is still standing today.

By Erin E

Re-enactment of the ‘War of the Roses’

The War of the Roses was a battle that took place during the 15^th century. At Warwick they used the power of horses, actors and amazing scenery to recreate this battle.

The arena where it was shown was split into two halves: the York side and the Lancaster side. When the soldiers came riding onto the arena we had to cheer for our sides.

Each side had a chant: the York side yelled “White Rose!” and the Lancastrians yelled “Red Rose!”.

Overall, the performance was very memorable, and it was very interactive with the cheers and chants. They kept special effects to a minimum and used the real-life scenery to really bring the production together, which was good as it made the re-enactment much more realistic.

By Maisy D

How and what we learned

Whilst we walked around Warwick castle, there were information boards, which you could use to learn about key historical facts.

There were pictures of King Henry and his 6 wives, and there were even mannequins to show what they looked like! I was particularly interested in this because King Henry was included in many battles, and how he got through so many wives is fascinating.

Around the site, we were able to find out about what happened in medieval times. The most interesting fact I collected was that above the front door, there was a Barbican. This was a porch directly above the main door, and it was used to protect the castle, so that nobody could invade. The main reason though, is that the front door was the weakest part of the castle, so it had to be heavily guarded.

These facts were a good source of information, as they helped us to learn. Did you know, one of the towers was named after one of the castle’s most ruthless owners, Guy Beauchamp?

By Evie A

Bird show

Year 7 also experienced a bird show at Warwick.  It was about an adventurer called Hobby, who was challenged to bring back the beautiful birds of Warwick to its skies again since they had mysteriously disappeared. Hobby was told that if he accepted this challenge, he would become the best bird adventurer of the medieval times.

Multiple birds came to welcome us to the show and swept over our heads, allowing us to admire their beauty. This included a bald eagle, a massive bird of prey that flew above us and landed on a pillar next to us. Incredible! This was a great experience to observe and a wonderful show at the beginning of a fabulous day.

By Mimi B