There can you study Romans, Saxons and Normans, the Middle Ages, the Tudors and the Civil War, the Victorians and even the impact of World War II bombing? As a focus for history, and a showcase for period crafts and skills, cathedrals and abbeys offer vast potential for teaching.

“Where better to study the Battle of Tewkesbury than looking over the battlefield?” says Pauline Elliot, education officer at Tewkesbury Abbey. “We leave the West door open and tell the story of how the Lancastrians ran through and sought sanctuary, only to be followed and slaughtered in the abbey. The verger points out holes in the armour-covered Sacristy door, caused by arrows. It helps the children understand what the battle was like.”

The ruins of Coventry Cathedral are a good example of the scale of destruction of the Second World War. An incendiary bomb, some gas masks and army uniforms, and the tail-fin of a bomb add to the impact.

Cathedrals offer education programmes, guided tours and other activities that take the curriculum into account. A tour of Norwich Cathedral, for example, is followed by a study of artefacts. Children become archaeologists, investigating what the pottery, stone and tile remains were for and where they came from.

Penrhyn Castle has a chapel with stratified seating - the gentry sat at the back in carpeted surroundings with their own fire, while the lower classes sat in cold wooden pews at the front.

Monks’ tours take place in many cathedrals and abbeys; children dress up as brothers and discover what monastery life was like. At St Alban’s Cathedral, they can wear togas, study Roman gods and investigate the crime of St Alban, who refused to worship the emperor.

Walsingham Abbey holds Tudor experience days. The abbey ruins are the backdrop for role-play events, with a visit to the original shrine and a banquet lunch, complete with a jester and toast to King Henry, followed by the opportunity to dance a Pavanne.

At Canterbury Cathedral, education officer Rosemary Walters says: “We supplement what teachers can get from textbooks with materials they might not otherwise have access to. We can show children original documents, like a letter from one of the knights who murdered Beckett. Children are fascinated and want to know why we have to take such special care handling it, using white gloves and putting the document on a cushion.”

Education officers can often design activities to meet a school’s requirements. One first school, for instance, had a specially adapted tour of Norwich Cathedral that focused on materials and crafts.

There are also special events, such as Norwich Cathedral’s living history week. Focusing on episodes in the cathedral’s history, children investigate rioting monks and townspeople, Cromwell’s army, Tudor musicians, calligraphy and herbalists.

At Fountains Abbey in Yorkshire, a Theatre in Education project investigates the dissolution of the monasteries, and children can debate in role whether they should fight the abbey’s closure.

Resource materials from cathedrals and abbeys to use in the classroom include copies of historical documents, worksheets, short plays and board games.

CONTACTS

Many cathedrals and abbeys have education officers.

Some of these are: Norwich Cathedral Saul Penfold 01603 218320

Walsingham Abbey Janet Marshall 01328 824205

Glastonbury Abbey Chris Lang 01458 832267

Salisbury Cathedral John Roseaman 01722 555180

Canterbury Cathedral Rosemary Walters 01227 762862

St Albans Cathedral Susanna Ainsworth 01727 890212

Tewkesbury Abbey Pauline Elliott 01684 292238

Coventry Cathedral Ann Henderson 02476 267028