YEAR 7 King’s Ely Junior pupils visited Mountfitchet Castle and Norman Village and Clare Castle on June 7th as part of their History course on Medieval England.
Mountfitchet is a re-creation of a wooden motte and bailey castle and the pupils had the opportunity to go inside the various authentically reconstructed buildings, as they researched what conditions were like for the residents of a castle.
The experience was enhanced by the students trying on armour and suffering medieval punishments such as the stocks! The visit ended with a demonstration of a perrier, a medieval catapult. The pupils enjoyed learning about the perrier and launching some water balloons from it!
After lunch, they got back on the coach for the short journey to Clare Castle. There, they climbed 100 feet to the summit of the motte and saw the remains of the shell-keep on the top. There was a short talk on the significance of Clare and the family who owned the castle, and their role in the signing of the Magna Carta. They then walked the short distance to the church to look at the medieval architecture.