Year 13 Trip to Hampton Court Palace

On Wednesday 5th March, 2025, our Year 13 historians visited Hampton Court Palace to take part in an A Level History study day. 

The day began with a brilliant lecture from Professor Tracy Borman, Chief Historian at Historic Royal Palaces. The lecture gave an overview of how the Tudor dynasty developed from the fragility of the usurper King Henry VII, to the days of 'Gloriana' and the 'Golden Age' of Elizabeth I, and how Hampton Court became one of the Tudors' most favoured palaces. 

After this, the students took part in two engaging workshops, the first involved using primary source material from the Palace to understand more about the public and private image of Henry VIII. Then, in the afternoon, our students’ second workshop consisted of a tour of the Palace by an expert guide. 

The entire day was framed around the A Level History unit, focused on The Tudors. The opportunity to study source material in a former Tudor Palace really brought the students' studies to life.

Will, Year 13, said: “The atmosphere of the day was incredible. Getting to study parts of our A Level course in a historic place was really interesting.”

Thank you to Mr Sills for leading the trip, we are certain the students gained a lot from the experience, ahead of their final exams this summer.