Story 1 - Lives of Tudors: Strange and Wonderful Tudor objects This pack includes: 1. Practical instructions 2. Initial prompt questions 3. Story 1 4. Additional Discussion Points 5. Activity Sheet 1. Practical instructions Go upstairs to the Long Gallery. Ask the students to find the Fireplace and sit in front of it when they have found it. Location: The Tudor Fireplace, in the Long Gallery, upstairs to the left as you walk into the room. Resources: Please use the laminated pictures provided to help the students answer the questions. 2. Initial prompt questions Talk to your partner and describe the Fireplace. Q: What materials is it made from? A: Brick, timber framed Q: What patterns can they see? A: Zigzag brick work called herringbone pattern, horizontal patterns Q: How old do you think this house is? A: This is a typical fireplace from the time of Elizabeth the 1 reign. This time in history was called the Tudors and this house was built in that time, in the year 1582. That makes this house over 400 years old! All the houses in London were built with a timber frame, that means made from wood.
Q: Look around you can you spot any other clues or evidence in this room that this was a timber framed house? A. Pupils should be able to point out some wooden frames around the windows and across the room evidence of timber, they may also haves seen evidence downstairs. Discuss the differences in life now and life in Tudor times Discuss in pairs Heating Q: How do you think Tudors heated their homes? A: Fireplaces, there was no electricity. Food Tudor houses like this had a kitchen garden and they probably kept live chickens at the house too. Some houses even had a hedgehog in the kitchen to eat unwanted slugs and insects! In less wealthier houses then this one a kitchen garden was an essential part of the household too. Ask for volunteers to come to the front and they can hold up the pictures provided to show everyone. Q: Name some herbs and vegetables they may have grown in Tudor kitchen gardens? You can use the pictures provided to help with answers A: Herbs - Thyme, Lemon balm, Chamomile, Rosemary, Sage. Vegetables - beans & peas, potatoes, cabbages, spinach, turnips & swedes. Leisure time Rich Tudors liked to listen to music, write poetry, dance and watch plays at the theatre.
Q: What activities can you imagine took place in a house like this, downstairs, in the hall that is a similar size to this room now? A: Great feasts, dancing, games such as skittles! Music concerts. Technology You can ask pupils to point out the modern technology in the room in comparison with the old features of the house.
3. Story 1 Story 1- Lives of Tudors: Strange and Wonderful Tudor objects There is a strange and wonderful story about this fireplace. Inside the fireplace was hidden something very odd.sixty years ago Lauderdale house was having some repairs done and you won t believe what they stumbled across when they were fixing the fireplace.some people were getting on with their work and then suddenly they found a hidden compartment behind the fireplace. They reached their hands inside and they came across some curious objects. Four whole shrivelled chickens, two odd shoes, candlesticks, a glass drinking goblet and a cord of plaited rush matting were bricked up inside the wall! The workmen were going to throw this objects away but someone at the house spotted them and realised they were special. Why? Because they can tell us more about Tudor times and how people lived. Archaeologists were so excited to find these objects, imagine how it might feel to see these strange objects for the first time? It turns out that these objects were 400 years old, from Tudor times! A rather gruesome and nasty story was uncovered too using forensic science.two of the chickens it seems were strangled and two had been buried alive. 4. Additional Discussion Points Ask for some pupils to come to front and hold images of the chickens, shoes and candlesticks up for class. Teacher notes The theory is that the Tudor builders/craftspeople who built Lauderdale bricked in these objects, hiding them on purpose. They were thought to be lucky charms for the house to help protect the home from any harmful spirits.
Soon after they were removed (1963) a fire nearly destroyed the whole house! Other such hidden discoveries have been made in similar houses, although this is the biggest ever hoard found in London. Also in Palaces (Hampton Court) and in smaller cottages in rural England cats, other dead animals, clothing and shoes have been found, all used as superstitious methods to keep away bad luck from the house. Can anybody think of a superstition today? (e.g. not stepping on the cracks in pavement) The Director (Katherine) of Lauderdale tells the story of how she was asked by the head builder to place a 10p coin in the floorboards when they restored the house! (2016)
Story 1- Lives of Tudors: Strange and Wonderful Tudor objects Activity sheet Name: Look closely at the fireplace and the pictures of the objects that were hidden there. Imagine you are a house builder, craftsperson or architect today. Draw the objects that you think would be curious for someone in the future to find hidden behind a wall and label them. Think about what the objects might tell people about our lives today. Ideas think about technology, food packaging, money, soft toys, photos, and hobbies