Hooke Court

History came to life for Prep 5 when they visited Hooke Court in Dorset for a three day Tudor Experience. The Court is a beautiful Tudor manor house and was once the home of a powerful Tudor family; it now offers children the opportunity to experience different aspects of tudor life. The girls took part in a range of different activities.

Designing and building a model Tudor galleon was great fun and the finished boats were raced across the moat accompanied by vociferous cheering! Spinning, weaving and Tudor cookery lessons followed, as well as candle making and playing Tudor games. In the Tudor schoolroom the girls learnt how to write with a quill, not easy to do! They were rightly indignant to learn that girls weren't thought worth educating in Tudor times. One of the most popular activities was trying on Tudor costumes. Tudor dancing lessons were also on the agenda and the girls were put through their paces learning that a ‘caper’ was, in fact, a type of dance.

The highlight of the visit was the Tudor Banquet. Everyone, including the staff, looked magnificent in their Tudor costumes as they processed into the banquet. The food was delicious and we tasted the latest new world vegetable a ‘solanum tuberosa’ (potato). Good behaviour in Tudor times was very important and unfortunately, one member of the party was beheaded, as she upset the Queen, but luckily her identical twin sister was able to take her place at the banquet! A murder mystery took place later that evening and the girls excitedly solved clues and investigated witness statements to find the murderer.

The girls thoroughly enjoyed their time at Hooke Court and the competition to have the tidiest dorm was fierce. Everyone returned home safely having had a memorable and enriching time.