The king’s marriage
History Unit 7
It is early 1544 and there is a new queen at court – King Henry VIII has just celebrated his sixth marriage. Everyone is wondering what will happen to Catherine Parr. In this session students will visit sites around the Tower connected with the stories of Henry’s previous five wives, accompanied by a fashionably dressed courtier well-acquainted with the new queen. Pupils will hear about the momentous lives (and deaths!) of Henry’s wives, and pass advice to the new queen about how to keep the king happy.
Monday to Friday
10.30, 12.00, 13.30
Visitor route session
50 minutes
£80
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Jane Grey
En2 speaking and listening
Follow in the footsteps of one of history’s most tragic figures. In July 1553 Lady Jane Grey arrived at the Tower to be pronounced queen having been placed on the throne by her father-in-law, the Duke of Northumberland. But when Princess Mary swept to power just nine days later, Jane’s future became suddenly very bleak. A courtier at Queen Mary’s court will introduce students to the dramatic episode of 1553, and the events leading to Jane’s sorry end the following year.
Monday to Friday
10.30, 12.00, 13.30
Visitor route session
50 minutes
£80
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Walter Raleigh
History Unit 19
Take students back in time to the year 1616, when Sir Walter Raleigh – buccaneer, explorer, poet, philosopher and the former Queen’s great favourite – is imprisoned in the Bloody Tower. Notice has just arrived, however, that he’s to be freed to go in search of the lost city of El Dorado! You’ll meet one of Sir Walter’s closest friends and relive his pioneering expeditions to the ‘New World’. Pupils will be asked to advise Sir Walter on making his latest venture a success.
Monday to Friday
10.30, 12.00, 13.30
Education Centre
1 hour
£80
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Imprisonment, escape and execution
History Unit 7
In this session students will put themselves in the shoes of a prisoner and hear exciting stories of the Tower’s dark Tudor history. Where would they have been locked up? What were the prisons like? What crime might they have committed? A character from the Tower’s past will guide your group around the Tower and some of the fortress’s surviving evidence to help students identify prisoners and the conditions in which they lived.
Monday to Friday
10.30, 12.00, 13.30
Visitor route session
50 minutes
£80
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Investigating the Tudors
History Unit 8
Students will meet a costumed Tudor character who’s been left in possession of a mysterious chest, containing objects belonging to members of the royal court. What do these possessions say about their owners? Your group will become history detectives, helping their host investigate the artefacts and replica objects and exploring the lives of rich and poor people in Tudor times. Using clues and artefacts, students work together to solve the mystery of the Tudor objects’ missing owners.
Mondays, Fridays
10.30, 12.00, 13.30
Education Centre
1 hour
£80
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Dressed for court
History Unit 8
Students will enjoy a rare opportunity to handle and try on authentic and exquisite replica costumes and accessories and discover the luxurious textiles worn by Tudor courtiers. Comparing and contrasting the clothing of rich and poor people in Tudor times, students will find out about the rules and regulations that governed how people dressed in Tudor England.
Monday to Friday
10.30, 12.00, 13.30
Education Centre
1 hour
£80
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The prince and the piper: Tudor music in society
History Unit 8
An expert music historian will introduce students to a range of Tudor music, giving them the rare chance to hear Tudor tunes played on authentic replica instruments. The session will look at music Henry VIII enjoyed, and how this differed from a below-stairs barefoot jig; how music entertained sailors on the Mary Rose; and the tunes courtiers would have recognised at ceremonies, banquets and dances. Students may have the chance to handle and play some of the replica instruments.
Tuesdays
10.30, 12.00, 13.30
Education Centre
1 hour
£80
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Tragic Tudor tales
En2 speaking and listening (drama)
In this drama session students will vote on whether to hear the tale of Anne Boleyn or Lady Jane Grey – two of Tower history’s tragic figures. After reading a short story together, your class will break into groups and work-shop a ‘scene’ from the story. Once confident with their roles, students will progress from the Education Centre to perform their tale to Tower visitors on the very site where these stories happened!
Available: 4-8 May
Monday to Friday
10.30, 13.00
Education Centre
1.5 hours
£90
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Tudor heraldry
Cross-curricular history; art and design
Using the many examples of heraldry and coats of arms at the Tower, students will compare the Tudor and modern day use of emblems to develop an understanding of the importance of identity and symbolism within the Tudor court. They will explore how Tudor monarchs asserted their identity, and what the signs and symbols on display at the Tower of London tell us about Henry VIII and his wives. Based in the Education Centre, students will also design and make their own clay shields, which can be taken home and painted back at school.
Available: 2–5 December; 20–23 January;
30 June – 3 July
Monday to Friday
10.30, 13.00
Vaults Learning Centre
1.5 hours
£90
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The Tower dig!
Cross-curricular history
This fun, hands-on session gives students the unique opportunity to become archaeologists. Working with each other on a reconstructed dig, students will identify and record a wide variety of finds – excavating and handling Roman, medieval, Tudor and Victorian artefacts. They’ll explore how such finds can be used to reveal life in the past, as well as what the objects say about the Tower of London as a home, palace and fortress.
Available: 30 September – 3 October; 3–6 February;
23–26 June
Monday to Friday
10.30, 13.00
Vaults Learning Centre
1.5 hours
£90
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