Year 8 travelled to the award winning Mary Rose Museum in Portsmouth on a History trip to help further develop their knowledge of the Tudor period.
Inside the museum one group were taken on a tour of the Museum and the other into a workshop in their bespoke education centre where the boys could handle some artefacts and explore some of the theories why the Mary Rose actually sank in the Solent in 1545. The tour of the museum allowed the boys to view the remains of the sunken ship that was recovered from the sea bed and is now kept in a pressurised chamber to help preserve her condition. There were also many sources of evidence on display that helped them to learn more about what life was like on board the ship.
The Museum staff commented on the excellent engagement and knowledge of our boys and the enthusiasm with which they responded to the many questions that they were asked.
The boys were extremely fortunate to enjoy a guided tour around HMS Victory, the flagship of Admiral Nelson and were amazed by the cramped conditions in which the men had to live and work. It was hard to imagine what life would have been like aboard that ship when it was sailing or in battle, but the boys had to opportunity to tour the guns decks, visit the cabins of Nelson and Hardy and also see the spot on deck where Nelson was believed to have fallen when struck by a musket ball during the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805.
The interactive nature of the day meant that the boys got a huge amount out of the experience and were excellent ambassadors for the school throughout.
Many thanks to Mr Smart for all of his hard work in organizing this very worthwhile day.
