Day 1
The sun was blazing in York as we set upon our much anticipated historical adventure.
First stop, the Dungeons where pupils and staff waited with trepidation. We were taken on a thrilling and dark adventure giving us great insight into the past. Along the way Donald Grey and Alex Dewing had their’ thumbs screwed' and ended up being ‘beheaded’!
In the afternoon the group enjoyed taking in the medieval walled city with a spot of retail therapy.
Then to the accommodation where they enjoyed a delicious dinner followed by much appreciated chocolate cake!
After the chocolate cake the group made tracks along the river to take in the enormity of York Minster. The perfect picture opportunity.
Everyone was looking forward to the boat trip in the morning.
Day 2
The morning began with a lovely stroll along the river to meet the boat tour. As the boat meandered downstream the guide pointed out several more landmarks and provided the group with insightful information about the history of York.
After lunch Year 8 marched to the Yorvik Centre to find out about the Viking settlements.
The group then demolished some lovely ice cream before moving onto look around the Castle Museum.
With the much anticipated Ghost tour ahead, it was back for another well prepared meal.
The ghost tour led us through the deepest darkest secrets of York, highlighting that we were in the most haunted city in the world with over 500 spirits and 140 known ghosts originating from the Roman times. With the only haunted male men’s toilets in a pub occupied by a woman.
With the combination of miles walked and brains full of historical artefacts the group returned to the accommodation for a good night’s sleep.
Day 3
The final day involved a guided tour of York Minster followed by a workshop looking at the history of the English churches and the changes that occurred during the reigns of different Kings and Queens.
The Minster is Northern Europe’s greatest gothic cathedral, where you can see traces of every age from Roman times onwards. It was a real interesting insight into religion and how monarchs were influenced by religion.
Pupils asked many questions on the topic and showed their knowledge. (After a large fire in 1984,due to the cathedral being hit by lightning, Sebastian Banks' father was a member of the first choir to sing after the restoration of York minster.) Pupils enjoyed the talk and workshop immensely and were still asking questions as the group had to depart for the journey back to Oswestry.