Upper 4 students from Habs Girls’ School took a recent trip to Hampton Court Palace. Learning lots of new and interesting facts, the trip built on much of the material taught during the term.
With two lectures from experts on Tudor England, both sessions explored a range of historical themes from the period, not least the palace’s role.
Hampton Court and the wider world
Entitled ‘Global Influences: Elizabethan Links to the Wider World’, the first lecture explored Queen Elizabeth I’s growing isolation from Catholic Europe. As part of the session, students were invited to investigate the legacy and impact of global cultural influences on Hampton Court and the Elizabethan world.
The lecture examined how Hampton Court Palace reflected England’s role in global discovery and colonialism during the Elizabethan Age. Further themes included the food, fashion and interiors of the palace.
The group also learned about the Tudor court’s associations with historical slavery, deepening their understanding of how Britain has influenced the world, and vice versa.
Henry VIII to Queen Mary I
During the Tudor period, religion was a hotbed of revolution. This rollercoaster of changes led to widespread turmoil, impacting the royal family and their subjects.
In the second lecture, ‘Henry to Mary: A Religious Rollercoaster’, students learned more about the buildings of Hampton Court, analysing the impact of religious changes during the reigns of King Henry VIII and Queen Mary I.
The session then focused on the various religious beliefs of early Tudor monarchs, including the various physical evidence found around the palace.
A truly educational day, the girls’ trip to Hampton Court was an enjoyable, educational day all-round, with the students’ knowledge far richer for the experience.
