YEAR 8 King’s Ely Junior pupils visited Oliver Cromwell House and Ely Museum on June 20th as part of their History course.
The day started with a short lecture, given by Dr David Smith from Cambridge University, about Cromwell’s life and different views people have on him. The students then walked to Cromwell’s House where they were given a tour by two guides dressed in period costumes.
They related Cromwell’s life following his move to Ely in 1636, his role in the Civil War and his time as Lord Protector. There were many artefacts from the period and the pupils were able to try on some military helmets from the era.
At Ely Museum, they enjoyed a talk from a re-enactor dressed as a Civil War musketeer. He took the students outside and showed them how a matchlock musket was loaded and fired. Inside, pupils had the chance to dress up in seventeenth century military dress. They looked at the clothes of the various types of soldiers and their weapons.