James H
Winchester Trip Report
On Monday 19th October we went on a coach about 9.00am to go to Winchester. It seemed to take forever to get there and I was bored.
When we got there we stopped at a bus stop and walked all the way to Winchester Cathederal. On the walk we went past Greggs, we all sniffed and smelt the pasties. At the Cathederal there was a massive bronze statue.
We sat down in a circle and we took turns to hold a 1000 year old Saxon pot. We felt the texture, smelled it and the man talked about it. Then we went upstairs and sketched in our books, I did a Spear and a Statue.
We walked round the building and left our bags, to go upstairs and do illuminating of a Saxon Letter P with special gold paint. After this we made a tin foil Anglo-Saxon brooch and wrote our names in Anglo-Saxons runes
Then we had lunch.
We also went in to a room with a wooden model of the Cathederal.
In the Cathederal we worked out it was about 40 feet 3/4’s way up. We walked on dead graves in the Winchester Cathederal as the floor is all graves. We sat down and there was a massive stone coffin and there was someone dead in there. There was a massive white wall and on the other side was four coffins that were gold, red and green with emeralds on. The lady told us that they had been dropped and the bones got mixed up. There was one woman’s skeleton and they think they know which one is which as the woman’s skeleton is thinner.
Then we walked back to the double decker bus and went back to school and stuck all the stuff we had done in our books.
Rachael
WINCHESTER TRIP
We arrived at Winchester at about five to ten. Freya and I got off the big yellow coach, making sure we didn’t leave anything and started to walk across the pelican crossing.
I said “How long will this take?” I don’t think anyone heard, as no-one replied.
Finally we arrived at the Learning Centre and we walked down a flight of stairs to the meeting room.
Our first activity at the Learning Centre was about Anglo-Saxon illuminations. We got come special gold paint (yellow), and the lady told us not to put too much gold on, as it wouldn’t look as special on the illumination when it was finished. We were given a large letter ‘P’, which we had to paint in gold to make it really ornate. The large letters were used at the beginning of the manuscripts. After that we had to make flat broaches, which in the Saxon times were used to keep blanket robes secure. We made these by using a piece of paper for our plan, which we drew our design on. We then got some card, which we covered in foil, and we drew our design with a special stylus. We had to then put our names on the back and my name accidentally came through so that you could see it at the front! Once these were finished we put a sticky material on the back of them, and gave them to our teacher to look after. Once we got back to the school, we stuck our brooches into our school book. Finally we wrote in runes. Runes are not only a phonetic alphabet but also have their own meaning connected with Norse mythology. Unfortunately I can’t write my name in runes here, as it doesn’t look anything like my name!
After we had finished at the learning centre we went to the Cathedral which was about 5 minutes away. The Cathedral was humongous. Our guide asked us to look around to see what we could see from where we were standing. I could see two men behind me which were carved in dark coloured stone. On the ceiling there were lots of patterns, which looked like swirls carved into the stone. Then we moved forward and a bell went off for mid-day prayers and we then had to be quiet whilst everyone in the church prayed. After the prayers had finished we saw some marble graves which were set into the floor of the church. I can’t remember the names of these people. Our guide then told us that the Church that was originally on this site was only three pillars long. It is much bigger now. We then sat down on a mat and our guide told us about Saint Swithin. It is Saint Swithin’s day on the 15th July. The story goes that whatever the weather is like on the 15th July, it will stay the same for a number of weeks. Saint Swithin was the Anglo-Saxon bishop of Winchester. We were told that his bones got moved several times. One night King Henry VIII’s men came to knock over his bones but found they were all fake.
At 12.45pm we went back to the Learning Centre for lunch, which we were allowed 15 minutes for.
The last activity for Group 3 was Winchester Museum. We then had to split into two groups, AS and KR. AS went upstairs and had to find out two facts and draw a rough sketch of an artefact. Mr Stanley took people from our group and dressed them up in traditional costumes. Luckily I didn’t get picked! I drew a penny which was in a glass case, so that people couldn’t touch it. We held an Anglo-Saxon pot, which had been broken many times. I was the last person to hold it and it felt quite rough, and smelt very strong.
All the groups then met at the Learning Centre to travel back to school. We were all very tired, but the bus journey was still loud.
Toby
My Winchester trip
The first thing we did was getting on the bus and the journey to Winchester took ages and it was so boring. When we got there it spiced up a bit when we got of and walked to the cathedral, as I love walking.
The second thing we did was getting into our groups I was in group b with Tom S and Max K who were the people I walked round with most of the day. Our first activity was the tour of the cathedral, which was when we walked around looking at the stuff and getting told stories about the different things.
The second activity was the ancient pot and the sketches we did the pot first where we had a pot that was from Saxon times we had to feel, listen, smell and look all I can remember is it sound like the ocean. Then we did the sketches. I did mine on iron arrowheads and cauldron rings.
The last activity was making a badge and Anglo Saxon writing which we all wrote our names in and for the badges we did a pattern.
Last of all we walked to the bus and had another boring journey back to the school.
Imogen S
My School trip to Winchester
This report will tell you all about AS’s trip to Winchester.
First we arrived at school as usual and went into class when the first bell rang and sat in our spaces and were told our groups. After that we got onto the coach and got ready for about an hour’s trip on the bus, when we arrived in Winchester we saw the statue of King Alfred. On Monday 19th October AS and KR went to Winchester Museum to learn more about King Alfred. Both classes were split into three groups I was in group two and we were the first to have the tour of the cathedral
When we got off the bus and into a building and lined ready for our first activity my first activity was having a tour of the cathedral, we were first asked to imagine the size of it before it was expanded then we had to see how big it actually was so we walked to the first pillar to the third pillar we measured about 44 feet
After we did that we went to see all the statues in the cathedral. On the way I noticed all the writing on the floor so I asked are people under here and Emma (our tour guide) said the very important people were buried under the cathedral so they would be remembered. At the end of the tour we sat on a rug and were told a story about the cathedral getting over crowded.
When we had finished our first activity we went back to the room we started in and lined up ready for the second activity when our group outside we were told we were going to the museum next. When we arrived at the museum we put our coats and bags under the table and were asked to sit on the rug and we got to hold an actual Anglo Saxon pot which had been used thousands of years ago.
We were told how to hold it and use all five senses except taste. When it was my turn to hold the pot as soon as I touched the pot I could tell it was old because it was all bumpy, when I smelled inside it was not a very nice smell but wasn’t a bad smell it smelled a bit like old coffee. When the man told me listen to it I was a bit surprised I thought why would I need to listen to and old pot but when I did I was very surprised it was like I was at a beach and I could hear the waves after we had finished with the pot we went up stairs and first looks at a model of Winchester when Alfred was King, it was very different from Winchester now. It had a big broken wall around it to stop the Romans from invading, after that we moved on to another model which was more modern but King Alfred was still king the difference was the wall was fixed and there were more houses after we were told what we needed to do.
After we were told we had to sketch two things and label them I went off with my friend Katie and we draw an old coin and a broach after that activity we went to the room we lined up in and we had an hour to eat our lunch after we ate our lunch we lined up for our final activity which was being taught like king Alfred was taught. We first had to illuminate a fancy P and made a broach made out of tin foil after that we went back and lined up and got make on the coach back to school and went back to our classes and talked about the trip I enjoyed the school trip a lot and it was maybe one of the best.
Joshua H
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Violet
My trip to Winchester
First lesson
First we went into a white room where we sat at a table, then a lady said we were going to work for Alfred the Great so we started to work. The lady said to pick up a bit of paper but it surprisingly turned out to be parchment. Then the lady said it was made out of animal skins; I was surprised about that. The lady said we could touch a bit of gold leaf, I thought it was rough. I thought we were going to do some writing after that, but the lady said we needed to illuminate the letter P. I thought mine was good, but I like Hannah more this was because she had more effect into hers. After that we made a brooch because in Anglo Saxon times they had to have them to hold their clothes together. Mine was ok but I should have done a different design because it was not symmetrical. Next we learnt some Anglo Saxon language and how to write our name in Anglo Saxon.
Second lesson
In the next lesson we were taken round Winchester Cathedral. Today outside the cathedral are Alfred the Great’s bones. In the middle of the hall an Anglo Saxon prayer was said. It was the Lord’s Prayer. The lady that was taking us told us about some saints and Anglo Saxon king and queens. Then we went into a underground chamber. In there we were told that ever year it floods in the underground chamber.
Last lesson
In our last lesson we went to a museum there we held a 1000 year pot we also went upstairs Mr Stanley said we need to get some information in our rough books and some sketches, Hannah dressed up as a slave because Mr Stanley told her to and that was funny! Then we went onto the bus and went back home.
Angus
My Trip to Winchester – By Angus
We went to Winchester on the bus. I sat next to Sausage (Alexander). It took ages to get there and I was bored.
When we arrived, we saw a statue of King Alfred in the middle of the road. He had a big sword and a shield. He was King of Wessex.
Then we went to the cathedral. It was huge. An old lady showed us around and told us about it. Every year at the bottom it used to flood. They built a statue of the man who saved the cathedral from falling down. He used to have to swim under the cathedral in a divers outfit.
King Alfred was buried by the door. People kept putting flowers on it which got in the way. So they moved it inside. No-one really knows where his body is.
Then we had lunch in this little house next to the cathedral.
After that, we went across the road to a museum about the Anglo Saxons. I held a Saxon pot. It was ugly and brown with cracks in it. And heavy. Then I drew a picture of it. We tried on some Anglo Saxon clothes.
Then we went to the little house again and made some badges. We did some colouring. We had to write our name in Anglo Saxon writing. It was in symbols called runes.
We went back on the bus. I sat next to Sausage again.
Liss: Year 6 