Living Like Tudors for the Day: Prep IV’s Historical Adventure at Ordsall Hall

Prep IV had an unforgettable historical adventure on their trip to Ordsall Hall last Thursday, bringing their history topic on the Tudors vividly to life. The visit gave the children a unique opportunity to explore a real Tudor manor house and deepen their understanding of how people lived during this fascinating period of history.

One of the highlights of the day was helping to prepare the hall for a feast. The children learned how important feasts were in Tudor times and took part in setting up the hall, imagining the long tables filled with food, music, and guests. It was a fantastic way to bring history to life and helped everyone understand how much effort went into hosting an event at a grand house. Rudy took the seat of Lord Radclyffe with Lady Radclyffe being Isabelle. The guests soon pilled in- more lords and ladies, Jester Irving, who won his place with a funny dance, the merchants and the farmers. Lots of our c children would have liked to try the different types of food on the table including the horse bread that the farmers ate.

The class also spent time working in the kitchen, where they discovered how meals were prepared without modern equipment. The children were fascinated by the tools that would have been used and enjoyed learning about the roles of the kitchen staff, who worked long hours to feed everyone in the house. Albie and Freddie donned the yoke, fortunately they did not have to travel far to fill the buckets up with water from the well. Ayesha and Rudy showed their skills off in the kitchen when the children worked in groups to create a spice mixture.

Another memorable part of the visit was seeing where the servants slept. The children were surprised by how small and simple the servants’ sleeping areas were and compared them to the much more comfortable rooms used by the wealthy family. This really helped them understand the differences between rich and poor during this period of history. Many expressed their feelings about preferring a feather bed to a straw bed.

Prep IV also explored some of the most important rooms in the house, including the Star Chamber, which was Lord Radclyffe’s room and where important meetings would take place.  The children listened carefully as they learned about the decisions that were made there and why the room was so significant. Marcel and Zara became a squire to help Knight Elia and Knight Theo dress ready for a fight. The chain mail was heavy, we cannot imagine wearing it all day.

The visit to the Lady of the House’s bedchamber was equally exciting, giving the children an insight into daily life for a noblewoman and how different it was from their own lives today. Only bathing a few times a year was a shock to us compared to some of the children bathing or showering everyday which is why the Tudors made posies to keep them smelling nice. Prep IV all made their own posies using chamomile, rose petals, mint, lavender and cloves.

We finished off with tudor dancing around the great hall which had just been set up for the candlemas. Tudors celebrated Candlemas on the 2nd February. It is an important place in seasonal folklore and agricultural planning. It symbolises that it is half way between winter and spring. Tudors decorate their homes with greenery which reminds them of the joy of spring to come.  A well-known rhyme captures its association with weather prediction:

If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas bring clouds and rain,
Go winter, and come not again.

The trip to Ordsall Hall was a fantastic hands-on history experience. The children asked thoughtful questions, showed great curiosity, and represented the school brilliantly. It was a day full of learning, imagination, and discovery. A massive thank you to the volunteers at Ordsall Hall especially Lady Beatrice and her servant Nell.