Anglo Saxon Tour - KS2

Bakewell is an Anglo-Saxon town, owing its origins to events during the reigns of King Edward the Elder and King Athelstan.

This short walking tour of the town covers Anglo-Saxon invasions, settlements and kingdoms, place names, Anglo-Saxon art and Christian conversion. It discusses King Edward’s defence of his kingdom from the Danes and King Athelstan’s  expansion of his father’s kingdom. It provides first-hand contact with the places and artefacts that shaped  Bakewell’s history.

Sites, locations and buildings can be visited to suit the individual focus of a school’s work. You can choose to visit:

  • The probable site of King Edward’s burh
  • The Anglo-Saxon watermeadows and warm springs
  • The site of town ford
  • An internationally famous collection of Anglo-Saxon sculpture
  • Two Anglo-Saxon cross shafts, which are grade 2 listed monuments
  • Still visible remnants of the Anglo-Saxon common field system.

This package includes a free consultation for teachers, with the local guide, to determine which elements will best meet the needs of pupils and support the teaching of staff.

Medieval Bakewell

The three parts of the town with significant medieval remains are the site of the motte & bailey castle, the bridge crossing the river in the middle of town, and,to the west, the church with its equally old artefacts and churchyard. The medieval farming system and warm springs can also be included if required.

The earthworks of the remaining motte are about half a mile east of the town centre and it is possible to include this in the tour. If you prefer to avoid the uphill walk to reach this (it is downhill back to town) you can learn about its significance by examining sketches and photos along with the guide’s explanation.

Was the castle a look-out post forpayment of tolls, or a defensive feature with views of any medieval troops movements? Did the 920 burh half a mile away still have a defensive role?

What sort of bridge replaced the ford, how did it accommodate caravans of packhorses and what did they carry? Did the bridge widening come before or after the first cars?

Was there a wooden church and when was the first stone church built? Why was this destroyed, by whom, what replaced it and why were all these buildings on such a hillside? When and why did the centre of the church collapse; what foundations were discovered and where can they be seen now? How old is oldest skeleton found and why was it carbon dated? About how many bodies do academics suggest are buried in the churchyard? What is special about the cross shafts and medieval artefacts inside the church?

The guides will be pleased to modify their standard tours to meet individual requests. Do feel free to contact us so we can meet your wishes as closely as possible.

Back of Old House

Tudor Bakewell - KS2

Bakewell grew and developed significantly during the Tudor dynasty (1485 – 1603), due largely to the wealth created by lead mining and wool production.

This tour provides KS1 and KS2 classes with the opportunity to visit Tudor buildings in Bakewell, with a local guide. It covers similarities and differences between Tudor life and the present day, events beyond living memory e.g. dissolution of the monasteries and the effects of the Reformation on church and everyday Tudor life, significant people in this locality, including the Manners and  Gell families and the introduction of poor law legislation of 1536-1601.

Groups may choose from:

  • the old market hall
  • the old town hall and original almshouses
  • the later almshouses
  • the parish church and the alterations necessitated by Thomas Cromwell’s injunctions.
  • the site of the chantry chapels
  • the Tudor house of the Gell family

Pupils will be encouraged to consider the changes effected in Bakewell due to the increased wealth of benefactors in Tudor times and the changes in religious life during the reigns of Henry VIII and his three children. They will be introduced to the physical evidence in Bakewell’s buildings and the evidence of written documents.

The package contains a free consultation for staff with the guide, to determine which elements will best meet the needs of the pupils and support the teaching of staff.

Victorian Bakewell

KS1 and KS2

Bakewell was a coaching town during the reign of Queen Victoria. It also saw the development of local industry, dependent on water power from the River Wye.* Increased prosperity led to the development of banking  and to the demand for education for the children of  merchants, bankers  and professionals.

KS1 and KS2 pupils can visit sites in Bakewell to learn about changes within or beyond living memory.

Classes can select from the following:

  • bridge widened for increased Victorian traffic
  • coaching inns and stables
  • Victorian alterations to Bakewell market hall
  • Victorian police station and fire station
  • buildings in use as schools during the era
  • banks built during Victoria’s reign
  • almshouses in use during Victoria’s reign
  • the parish church with extensive Victorian alterations.
  • Bakewell Workhouse

Emphasis will be placed upon the chronological nature of development during the Victorian era. Pupils’ attention will be drawn to changes in industry, commerce and transport. Evidence of these changes will be discussed.

This package includes a free consultation for teachers, with the local guide, to establish the outcomes that staff wish to achieve and how the elements can be adapted to suit the history units taught in individual schools.

* For a tour devoted to the development of industry in Victorian times see  “A study of an aspect of history and a site significant in the locality”. Richard Arkwright and Lumford Mill KS2

Richard Arkwright and Lumford Mill - KS2

A study of an aspect of history and a site that is significant in the locality

At the end of the 18th century, Bakewell saw the early stages in the development of the factory system. This was possible, because of its situation on the River Wye and its suitability for water power.

Sir Richard Arkwright built a factory in Bakewell, installing his newly developed “water frame”. This enabled cotton yarn to be produced continuously, more quickly and more cheaply. It also contributed to the rise in Bakewell’s population and caused discord with existing mill owners.

Classes can choose to visit and view from outside:

  • Sir Richard Arkwright’s mill site
  • the mill stream and mill pond
  • the home of Richard Arkwright junior
  • the nearby Victoria mill with it’s existing mill-wheel
  • millworkers’ cottages

Emphasis will be placed upon the chronological development of the cotton industry, both in Bakewell, the north of England and its connections with the wider world. Pupils’ attention will be drawn to the changes over time in the industry. Evidence of these changes will be discussed.

This package includes a free consultation for teachers, with the local guide, to determine which elements will best meet the needs of pupils and support the teaching of staff.

Geography Tour - KS2

This tour is designed to include:

  • locational knowledge
  • place knowledge
  • human and physical geography.

Locational knowledge covers

  • the naming and locating of the county of Derby
  • the geographical region of the Peak District.
  • how land use patterns have changed over time.

The human geography of the area will include:

  • the origin of the factory system locally
  • the changes in agricultural practices
  • the development of the settlement of Bakewell since Anglo-Saxon times.
  • trade links
  • use of water power as source of energy

Physical geography:

  • Key topographical features such as hills, valleys and river

Geographical skills:

  • use of maps, diagrams and aerial photographs
  • use of fieldwork to observe and record human and physical features in the local area.

Classes can visit the River Wye and discover the many ways water power has been used over the centuries, three water mills and their industrial use, examine transport routes which have persisted over the years, but changed in their usage. They can discover why Bakewell has developed in the Wye valley, the factors in its agricultural and industrial growth and why the town centre has changed location since the 10th century.

This package includes a free consultation for teachers with the local guide, to determine which elements best meet the needs of the pupils and support the teaching of staff