As part of this term’s learning about The Great Fire of London, Cherry class visited Chiddingly school for an experience day with the brilliant Hands on History team. As with most school trips, the coach trip was a very big part of the day; for some, it was their first time on a coach. How exciting!
On arrival, the children from both schools had fun dressing up their teachers in Stuart militia clothing from 1666. Mrs Pike was lucky enough to be dressed as a militia man who would also have been a firefighter. Unfortunately for Mrs Pike, the clothing of that time would have been filthy and flea infested because firefighters would only have been able to have a bath every three months. Yuck! It was also extremely heavy and difficult to move around in, especially with all the heavy armour and equipment that needed to be used in war or to tackle fires.
Next, the children investigated and thought about different occupations of people living in the Stuart era through exploring unusual artefacts. They had to work out who might have used the objects in their daily work. Some of the objects included quills and ink for a cartographer, leather and needles for a leatherworker, a pestle and mortar for an apothecary and pellets for a gunsmith.
It was interesting to consider how these jobs have evolved over time.
After exploring how people of the time worked, the children moved into a bakery in Pudding Lane. They used flour and water to create a very messy
mixture before rolling it and shaping it into a dough. They baked these in the oven, and although the biscuits they made on the day weren’t edible, they experienced how bakers of the time made biscuits that if kept dry could be stored for up to three months!
In the afternoon, the fun continued when all the children got a taste of how the helmets and armour would have felt by trying them on. They were all in agreement that they were very heavy and uncomfortable indeed!
In addition, the children learned how to shoot a miniature Stuart crossbow dart at the enemy target. This was a favourite activity for many!
On the playground, we watched a demonstration of how they would have lit the fire to warm up the bread ovens in the Pudding Lane Bakers’. We saw the sparks that were created by the friction from the flint and steel which set fire to a small ball of straw. We watched the fire begin as smoke and with the help of blowing air, the smoke eventually turned to flames.
Later on, Cherry class worked together brilliantly to see which team was the quickest at passing buckets filled with orange balls to simulate the team effort that would have been required to put out the Fire of London in 1666. We were impressed with how cooperative they were!
To finish off the day in style, Mrs Neville and Mrs Champion were dressed up in some magnificent Stuart outfits. Back in 1666, Mrs Neville’s outfit would have cost the equivalent of a car in 2023!
We must say, green really is her colour! Dressed as Samuel Pepys, Mrs Champion really was keeping up with the high fashions of the Stuart
Court in her grand outfit.
Here are some of the things the children said about the day:
Oliver: I enjoyed filling the buckets with all the balls.
Charlie: I liked making cookies, travelling to the school and playing everything.
Wilf: I liked passing the buckets to put out the fire. Marlie: I enjoyed getting there and looking at all the amazing stuff.
Liv: I made some new friends! Khaleesi: I liked making biscuits. Lilly-Mae: I liked making cookies and mixing the flour and water.
Ollie: I liked shooting the targets best!
It is fair to say that the children all had a fantastic day and we were very proud of their behaviour throughout. The trip finalised our topic and consolidated the term’s learning perfectly. As always, we are very grateful to the helpers who came along to help the day run smoothly.
