Historic Hampton Court Palace

Year 5 went to discover more about how the Tudors lived by visiting Hampton Court Palace last Friday as part of their Global Citizenship topic for this term. It was a cold blustery day so we were glad that the trip did involve looking around many rooms at Hampton Court Palace. We learnt about King Henry and some of the jobs that were held by members of his court from the lowest ranking job to the highest. Amazingly, our tour guide was actually one of the King’s laundry ladies so she was able to let us in on many secrets of how clothes were washed as well as many other secrets about the inner workings of the palace whilst King Henry lived there. We were able to explore many of the parts of the palace including The Great Hall, where we learnt all about the eavesdroppers and the 500 year old tapestries, King Henry’s apartments, the Chapel Royal with its stunning ceilings, and the Tudor Kitchens, which fed over 800 people per day. Seeing the River Thames so close by, helped the children to understand how different life was back then and how fortunate we are to have running water in our homes as well as washing machines and many other modern appliances.

By the end of the trip, the children had enhanced their learning of life in Tudor times and felt excited to know more about King Henry and his many wives.