Secondary Schools Visits Booklet with LotC Badge

SECONDARY SCHOOL VISITS
2023 - 2024

VISITING HEREFORD CATHEDRAL
See the historic Mappa Mundi! Explore the cloisters and the crypt!
Pray at the medieval shrine of St Thomas Cantilupe. We offer a
range of activities, trails and workshops looking at how Hereford
Cathedral has changed over the centuries, and how it works now.
While many trips have a focus on history or Religious Education,
we can cater for many other areas of the curriculum.
Cathedral Barn
Some of our workshops take place in
the Cathedral barn. Behind the Elgar
statue, it is one of the oldest buildings
in Hereford, with some of the timber
dating back to the 13th Century. It is
now used by the education team as our
schools’ base.
College Hall
Larger groups will often use College
Hall in the cloisters. This hall was once
used by the Vicars Choral as a dining
room and concert hall. It is now used
for talks, functions and events.
Contacting the Education Team
William Talbot-Ponsonby | Head of Schools and Family Learning
education@herefordcathedral.org | 01432 374 256
We are holders of the LOtC Quality Badge - the only national
award that recognises both learning and safety for learning
outside the classroom providers and is endorsed by the
Department of Education.

TIMINGS
While all visits are bespoke to fit your needs, these times are
fairly typical:
Full Day
10.00 Arrive & Introduction
10.20 Tour
11.20 Break
11.30 Workshop
12.30 Lunch
1.00 Workshop
2.00 Depart
Half Day
10.00 Arrive & Introduction
10.15 Tour/workshop
11.00 Break
11.15 Tour/workshop
12.00 Depart or stay to eat
lunch in barn
PRICE SUMMARY
Without
Workshop
Standard or Architecture Tour £3.50
With
Workshop
£4.50
Rooftop Tour £3.00 £4.00
Historical Visit £3.50 £4.50
Mappa Mundi Visit £3.50 £5.00

TOURS
Standard Tour
Tour of the cathedral, looking at
the shrines of King Ethelbert and St
Thomas Cantilupe, the Audley Chapel
and Traherne Windows, the Cathedra
and King Stephen’s Chair, the threelegged
knight and other highlights.
Architecture Tour
Carry out a tour of the cathedral, paying particular attention to
the different styles of architecture, and how different shapes of
arch support walls. This can have a historical focus, to see how the
design changes through time, or from an engineering perspective.
This can be combined with the rooftop tour.
Rooftop Tour
Carry out a tour of the vaulted roof space, the external lower
rooves and the tower. See how the cathedral has been built from
above and what materials have been used in its construction. This
tour is weather dependent and has limited capacity, so will usually
be carried out in conjunction with other activities as part of a
carousel.

RE VISITS
Sacraments
Carry out a workshop looking at the Baptism service or Holy
Communion. Explore what the sacraments are and how the
services are carried out, led by a member of clergy from the
Cathedral.
Meet a Canon
An opportunity to meet one of the priests at the Cathedral, find
out what they do, and then ask them challenging questions about
their faith!
HISTORICAL VISITS
Hereford in the Civil War
Pupils consider the historical evidence about the siege of
Hereford, and plan how they would attack Hereford. They look
at the Civil War Window and the Dean Croft Pulpit, and create
publicity / propaganda material on behalf of either the citizens of
Hereford or the Scottish Army.
Life in the Middle Ages
Learning about the medieval inhabitants of the cathedral. Pupils
dress in replica robes, learn some Latin and discover the daily
challenges of the cathedral community in the Middle Ages.

Magna Carta
Pupils learn about the Magna
Carta, its significance and place in
history. They have the opportunity
to look at the 1217 Magna Carta
and 1215 King John’s Writ, or the
facsimiles of these documents if the
originals are in storage.
SAVE THE DATE!
The original 1217 copy of the Magna Carta will
be on display in the Mappa Mundi & Chained Library Exhibition on
Friday 24 & Saturday 25 November. If you would like to arrange a
school visit, please email education@herefordcathedral.org
Pilgrimage History
Learning about Pilgrimage in the Middle Ages. Pupils learn about
pilgrimages in the medieval period, and Saint Thomas of Hereford.
Pupils will dress in traditional pilgrim costumes, visit the shrine of
St Thomas and see the secret “Booth Porch Chapel”
Plagues and the Black Death
Pupils look at archive material showing how plagues in history
have affected Hereford Cathedral, dress in replica robes and take
part in a mock funeral procession around the cloisters.

MAPPA MUNDI & CHAINED LIBRARY
EXHIBITION VISIT
The Hereford Mappa Mundi is the largest medieval world map to
survive. An outstanding treasure, it records how scholars
interpreted the world over 700 years ago. Sitting alongside the
Mappa Mundi is the Chained Library, a spectacular collection
holding over 1,500 rare books, including 229 medieval manuscripts.
Pupils explore the myths and mysteries of Hereford’s map of
the Middle Ages. This can be self-guided, or with an additional
talk looking at close-up pictures and a facsimile of the map. This
provides an opportunity to look at the medieval world view, as well
as highlighting Jerusalem as the centre of the Christian world. It
also provides an opportunity to create their own artwork based
on the different pictures in the map. This can be combined with an
extra workshop or cathedral tour.
DID YOU KNOW?
You can further explore the Mappa Mundi from your classroom by
visiting: www.themappamundi.co.uk/mappa-mundi

ADDITIONAL WORKSHOPS
These can be stand-alone workshops, or combined with a tour as
part of a longer visit. They cost £2.50 each, or £1 if added to a trail
or additional activity.
Brass Rubbing
Children are shown interesting memorial brasses around the
cathedral and encouraged to discuss the historical information that
can be learned from the clothing, the design and the decorations of
these brasses. After that, the children use traditional brass rubbing
wax to make their own rubbings to take back to school. We have
a large selection of brasses to chose from including a number of
images of famous Tudors.
This workshop makes a good practical session for any visit to the
cathedral, but particularly a Tudor themed visit.
Calligraphy
Amongst our archives we have documents with genuine signatures
of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Children are able to look at copies
of these and other examples of historical documents. They are
introduced to the art and tools of writing in late medieval/Tudor
England and given an opportunity to experiment for themselves, to
design their own ‘Tudor’ signature, and, if time permits, to produce
a longer piece of writing using calligraphy pens.
This workshop makes a good practical session for a Tudor-themed
visit or for a visit to the Mappa Mundi and Chained Library
Exhibition.

Cathedral Corbels
In this workshop children explore the outside of the cathedral
looking for stone carved gargoyles, grotesques and corbels.
Whenever possible they also visit our stone masons to watch
them at work and learn about how they carve the stone faces and
decorations. After that, the children make their own corbels out of
clay.
Illuminated Letters
This workshop gives children the opportunity to look at examples
of unique hand decorated illuminated initials taken from some of
our own 12th century manuscripts, and to learn a little bit about
the history and art of illuminating letters. They then have the
opportunity to design and colour their own initials.
The workshop makes a good practical session to accompany a visit
to the Mappa Mundi and Chained Library Exhibition.
Investigating the Traherne Windows
In this workshop children explore the Christian symbolism and
imagery in the stained glass of the Audley Chapel. The glass
was designed by stained glass artist Tom Denny, who took his
inspiration from the works of the 17th-century poet and mystic
Thomas Traherne. Some of the images of the city of Hereford itself
and of the flora and fauna of the Herefordshire countryside might
be known to local children. Pupils will enjoy recognising landmarks,
as well as interpreting the Christian message of the windows.
This can be extended by considering the processes needed to
create stained glass windows, as well as the chemicals needed to
produce different coloured glass.

Praying with Beads
This workshop offers pupils a contemplative, spiritual experience.
It is not specifically Christian, and we welcome both members of all
religious denominations and those of no particular commitment.
The workshop takes place in the crypt, in candlelight and against a
background of atmospheric music. As they make their prayer bead
chains, children are encouraged to think about and remember
people, times, places, events and global issues that are special or
important to them.
Stained Glass Window
The stained glass windows of Hereford Cathedral convey colourful
images of many Christian stories and symbols. In this workshop
children look at some of the windows and then design and colour a
window of their own to suit the theme and objectives of their visit.
We use different, age-appropriate materials for each Key Stage.
Walking the Labyrinth
This is a spiritual and contemplative workshop. Children will look
at Psalm 23 and consider the links between the words and their
life; what they have to be grateful for and who in their lives they
are worried about. They will slowly carry a stone into the middle of
the labyrinth and retrace their steps.

FAQs
Where will we be based?
Depending on the size of the group, schools are based either in the
Cathedral Barn or in College Hall
What toilet facilities are there?
There are public toilets in the Chapter House Garden by the
café, as well as a smaller number of private toilets available in the
cloisters.
Can we visit ahead of time?
Yes, and we would encourage this. You will be met by a member of
the cathedral team and see the various locations and facilities. We
can also arrange a phone call or conversation via zoom or teams if
this is helpful.
Do you provide a risk assessment?
We provide a risk assessment for each activity which we
encourage schools to adapt for their own visit.
Can we do a self-guided visit?
Yes you can. Schools can visit the Cathedral free of charge and the
exhibition for the standard entry rate. Materials are available on
request for schools to use (email education@herefordcathedral.
org for more details). We do, however, ask you to book in the usual
way to avoid clashes.
Do I need to book?
All school visits need to be booked. We recommend a halfterm’s
notice, although sometimes we can accommodate
schools with a two week notice period. Please email
education@herefordcathedral.org for the booking form.

How do we pay for the visit?
We send an invoice to the school after the visit for the agreed price
based on the number of pupils who attend.
What SEND provision do you have?
We work with each school to ensure that we meet the needs of all
pupils. Adapted materials and resources are available.
What are the parking arrangements?
Coaches usually drop school groups off at the corner of the
Cathedral Close at the end of Broad Street. Smaller groups
sometimes come by minibus, and with enough notice we can
reserve a parking space in the Staff Car Park for these.