Dean Close Pupils Enjoy ‘Tudors Alive’ experience

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History Day Dean CloseMonday 25th September 2017,  Dean Close Preparatory School pupils were thrilled when their History lesson meant a trip to Mary Arden’s House for the ‘Tudors Alive’ experience.  They spent an entire day dressing-up, baking, cleaning, singing and dancing; just as the Tudors would have done 500 year ago.

Firstly they changed into clothes that were replicas of those worn by Tudor farm workers and were each given a Tudor name.

Girls – linen shift, woollen kirtle lined in linen, a coloured placard, an apron, a partlet, a coif

Boys – linen smock, breeches tied to a jacket, long socks, garters and a woollen hat

When everyone was finally ready, pupils had a go at some Tudor baking, cooking their bread over an open fire and  churning cream into butter to spread

onto their freshly cooked rolls. Cleaning up afterwards is a crucial part of Tudor housekeeping, largely due to the high volume of vermin that thrived in that era. There was no such thing as Dettol or Fairy liquid in Tudor times, the pewter plates were scrubbed using ground egg shells and vinegar and rosemary water was used as a disinfectant to clean the table afterwards.

After all the domestic chores were completed the children painted a linen wall hanging with Tudor Rose decorations and made sweet smelling lavender bags.  They then learnt about the importance of wool in Tudor times. Did you know that you were fined if you were found outside without a woollen hat? A rule that cleverly supported the Tudor wool trade!

Year 5 teacher, Olivia Hamilton said, “The children were transported back in time. It was great to see them fully immersed in the period and working on the farm. They asked great questions as they learnt new skills around the site. Personally, I really enjoyed the graceful owl display and the authentic Tudor music, the atmosphere was wonderful.”

 

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