There are 12 galleries in this exhibition. Three look at the period before 1450:
Were the Middle Ages lawless and violent?
Who was responsible for crime prevention in medieval England?
What were the purposes of punishments given by the courts in the Middle Ages?
Three galleries look at 1450-1750:
Did governments in this period decide what kinds of people were to be regarded as criminals?
Did methods of crime prevention change?
What was the purpose of punishments in the period?
Three galleries look at 1750-1900:
Did the Industrial Revolution lead to more crime?
What new crime prevention methods were set up to deal with changes in crime in this period and what were the problems?
What was the purpose of the punishments used in the period?
The final three galleries relate to the 20th century:
What was the most important factor affecting crime in the 20th century?
Did police work change dramatically in the 20th century?
What was the purpose of 20th century punishments?
Within each gallery there are case studies using original documents with transcripts. The most visual material is to be found in the section Punishment 1750-1900, case study 3, on Victorian Prisons, which younger pupils might find more accessible.
Activities: each gallery has a worksheet, some source questions, and in some cases a game: Tug of War; Catch the Robber; The Watchman; Guilty or Innocent.
This gallery considers if the governments in this period decided what kinds of people were to be regarded as criminals. There are six case studies on: Vagabonds; Heresy & Treason; Witchcraft: Highwaymen; Smuggling; Poaching. Click on 'Game' to play Tug of War.
This gallery considers if methods of crime prevention changed in the period through a case study on Constables and Watchmen. Click on 'Game' to play The Watchman in this gallery.
This gallery considers what were the purposes of the punishments in the period through two case studies on the Bloody Code and Houses of Correction and other punishments. Click on 'Game' to play Guilty or Innocent in this gallery.
This is a film archive containing clips from 20th century films on: Britain 1906-1918; the Abyssinian War; Home Front 1939-45; British Empire; Cold War; early 20th century Kent.
There are activities relating to some of the film clips, for example a task to write a soundtrack from a modern day perspective on early 20th century Kent and another to produce a commentary for a documentary on the Potsdam and Yalta Conferences, 1945. There is an opportunity for teachers to develop their own tasks from any clip in the archive.
Want to be a knight in shining armour riding into combat on your trusty steed? Choose your horse, select your armour and try your skills against 4 jousting champions from the court of Queen Elizabeth I. Plus find out about your opponents and get tips on the equipment from the information pages.
What kind of man was he? This snapshot gives you the chance to look at primary sources concerning Shakespeare, including financial information and his last will and testament.
This exhibition is based around six online activities:
What was life like at the court of Henry VIII?
How did Tudor people have fun?
Was there freedom of religion in Tudor England?
What can you find out about Tudor life?
What countries did England trade with in Tudor times?
Joust!
To answer these questions and complete the activities, pupils must examine documents and objects from the Tudor period. In addition, there are supporting materials and suggestions for further activities - both online and in the classroom.
The Tudors has been created for key stage 2 pupils, but there is material here that could be used at key stage 3 (for example, a timeline on religious change in the period or an activity based around the portrait of Anne of Cleves).
To view the animation and see the objects in 3D, you will need Flash (free software that comes with most web browsers - for more information, see The Tudors help page). However, the resources are also available in a printable format.
This tells the story of Tudor Hackney with video drama and a virtual reality reconstruction. You can walk around the town, see inside the home of the Daniell family, pick up objects and learn about daily activities.
This workshop aims to develop pupils' understanding of the character of Henry VIII and how he used imagery to create an impression about himself. They will develop their understanding of the Tudor period by studying different types of documents and learning how they were made. They will develop their skills at interpreting information from documents, including portraits, and learn how to read original Tudor handwriting.
The seventeenth century was an extraordinary time for England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland. Find out more about the civil wars and the people who lived through them - in their own words. There are six galleries in this exhibition:
Sensational sources
What kind of king was Charles I?
Why did people go to war in 1642?
Why did people want the king back in 1646?
Why did Britain become a republic?
What kind of ruler was Oliver Cromwell?
In each gallery you will find case studies with sources and questions to help you investigate the material. To help, there is a glossary and background material on key people and events. There are also report writing activities and worksheets and a video reconstruction of civil war people. In order to help students face the challenge of 17th century language and expression, all sources have an audio version, transcripts and simplified transcripts. Key stage 5 students studying this topic will be able to make use of these original documents.
The aim of this videoconference workshop is for students to develop their understanding of the causes of the English Civil Wars through engaging in a debate with actors in role as Puritan Adam Wright and Royalist Bishop Richard Hyde. It is also an opportunity to consider how useful this type of historical interpretation is as a piece of evidence, is it pure entertainment or has it more value?
This website for Key stage 1 pupils tells the story of the Great Fire of London in an engaging interactive way with activities and games. There are also opportunities to explore how we know about the Great Fire through museum objects, documents and paintings. The website was created by the Museum of London in partnership with The National Archives, London Fire Brigade Museum, National Portrait Gallery and London Metropolitan Archives.
In addition, there are supporting resources and suggestions for further activities in and out of the classroom.
To view the animation you will need Flash (free software that comes with most web browsers) and make sure that you have sound turned on your computer. There is also a text version of the site available.
This gallery looks at why the British became empire builders. There are case studies on the development of the British Empire in these four regions: North America; Africa; India; Australia.
