​Knights, kings and keeps

​Knights, kings and keeps

Year 7 pupils, DAISY ROBINSON and ARTHUR MARS, share the highlights of their memorable trip to Richmond and Middleham castles, where they stepped back in time to explore medieval history, discover Norman fortresses and learn about the people who once lived there

WHAT was life really like in the medieval period? This term, Year 7 pupils had the chance to find out on our incredible history trip to Richmond and Middleham castles!

We arrived at school on Wednesday full of excitement and boarded a coach to our first stop: Richmond Castle. Stood proudly on a steep hill, overlooking the town of Richmond, this motte-and-bailey castle is definitely a sight to behold.

Ruins of a well and many buildings indicated how medieval people lived: with all the resources they needed to live inside the castle’s protective walls in case of invasion.

We headed through the stone keep of the motte-and-bailey and higher up into the tower to a room decorated as the throne room where the court used to take place. I was amazed by the details of the castle and the view from the very top of the tower.

Did you know that although Richmond Castle is classed as a motte-and-bailey castle, it doesn’t have a true motte? This is because mottes are man-made mounds, whereas Richmond is sat atop a natural hill.

After a quick lunch break, we headed to Middleham Castle, our final destination. The powerful, fortified castle was once the home of King Richard III who was sent there to be educated by his cousin the Earl of Warwick.

It features one of the largest keeps in England, a kitchen with a horse-powered mill and a very artistic statue of Richard III made by Linda Thompson which depicts him in different ways depending on which side you look at.

My favourite part of the castle was its rich history with Richard III.

We had a fantastic time - despite the heat - and are really looking forward to our next school trip!

Daisy Robinson

On the bus we went through a few Yorkshire villages strung together with twisty countryside roads and loads of wildlife and plants. Then at Richmond we learnt all about the castle, which was founded in 1071 by Alan Rufus, a Norman noble.

It is a bailey castle which sits next to the beautiful River Swale and was also used in WW1 to hold people who didn’t want to fight in the war as punishment.

Next, we moved on to Middleham Castle which is a fair bit smaller but in my opinion a bit more detailed and seemed bigger on the inside.

The settlement was also mentioned in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Madelai.

My favourite was Richmond Castle as I liked the history and design of it slightly better and the view and scenery was stunning, not to mention the town was very pretty.

Arthur Mars