Walking and talking history

Yesterday our first group of Year 7 pupils (7R) embarked on an enlightening walking tour of Rochester Cathedral as part of our unit on Reformation and the Tudors. The students explored the rich history of the cathedral, from the outline of the Saxon cathedral on the cobbles of College Yard to its Norman renovation before learning about its monastic past, the transformation of a monastery into a royal palace and the impact of religious upheaval on our local cathedral. The pupils learnt about the destruction of the monasteries’ shrines and paintings, learning about the few surviving traces of Medieval paintings in the cathedral. This educational excursion provided our pupils with a vivid insight into the profound changes that swept through England’s religious landscape during the 16th century, bringing history to life and encouraging our pupils to look at parts of the cathedral in a new light.