HISTORY Framlingham and Orford Castles

ENGLISH HERITAGE TEACHER’S KIT
Framlingham and Orford Castles
For more ready to use castle activities try our other free downloadable resources:
Castles - Attack & Defence: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/castles-attack-and-defence/
Castles - Show Down or Show Off?: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/castles-show-down-show-off/
Castles - Rough Room Guide: http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/publications/castles-rough-room-guide/
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Creative writing
Introduce your students to the story of
the merman, as outlined in the
exhibition in the upper hall. Can they
think of a scientific explanation as to
who/what the merman was?
Your group will then need to explore
the keep, searching out where the
merman would have been imprisoned.
They should consider:
how he would have felt
how the guards would have felt
what it would have been like to
be imprisoned here.
Finally, ask the students to write a
short story or a poem based on the
merman’s experience, drawing
particular attention to the keep and the
conditions of he was kept in.
Medieval engineers
In this activity your students will
consider the engineering techniques
used by the architect and builders who
created the castle.
Explain to your group that they have
been sent by the king who wants to
understand the types of techniques
being used. They will need to create a
document to record their findings,
perhaps a table listing the type of device
and the reasoning behind it.
Students should be directed towards
items such as:
The shape of the interior and
exterior of the castle. Here, they
should consider geometry.
Windows and arches - how are
they held in place e.g. keystones?
Devices within the keep such as
the direction of the spiral
staircases.
Scale drawings
Gather the group outside of the keep
and divide them into small teams. Each
group should be provided with graph
paper. Explain that they are
going to create a scale drawing of one
side of the keep. Set the scale for your
group, e.g. 1cm = 1 metre.
You should provide each group with
some basic information and resources,
such as:
the highest point of the keep is
the turret, at 27.2 metres high.
tape measures
clinometers.
The final drawings can be used back in
the classroom as part of your post-visit
activities.
For further activity ideas for either
castle, visit the Heritage Explorer
website.
BOOKING AND SITE INFORMATION
English Heritage, The Engine House, Fire Fly Avenue, Swindon, SN2 2EH.
T 0870 333 0606 E bookeducation@english-heritage.org.uk
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