Local History
Gawthorpe Hall / Year
3-6 / Focus Statement
Pupils should find out about an important aspect of their own locality, relating this to significant national events or developments at the time.
Content/
Key issues/questions / Knowledge
skills &
understanding / Learning outcomes:
To be able: / Suggested activities / Resources
When was Gawthorpe Hall built?
What does the outside of the Hall tell us about life for the very rich at that time? / 1a/b
4a/b /
- to use a time-line to show understanding of when the Hall was built (Level 2)
- to recognise that the past can be divided into different periods of time e.g. Tudor, Stuart (Levels 3&4)
- to recognise features of the Hall that were typical of the style of building at that time (Levels 3&4)
- to understand why people wanted to create homes with these features (Levels 4&5)
- Put the date of when the Hall began to be built, and when it was finished on a time-line.
- Identify the different periods and discuss the different monarchs on the throne throughout the short building period. Recap on Elizabeth’s reign as appropriate.
- Walk around the Hall. Discuss and write notes about why they think it is old.
- Make detailed observations about the different external features of the Hall e.g. What it is made from, how many floors it has, what the windows are made from and special details.
- Using their notes, draw the Hall from memory. Compare to a picture of the Hall. What features did they get right/wrong? Which features were the easiest to remember and why?
- Compare Gawthorpe Hall with a picture of Hardwick Hall. List the similarities and differences. Write about the type of features that would be desirable if they were rich and wanting to build a grand home. Which parts might be highly fashionable and exhibit wealth? Use books and computers to research specific building features relevant to that time.
Resource books.
Dates of building work done at Gawthorpe Hall.
Visit to the Hall.
Clipboards and question sheets.
Pictures of Gawthorpe Hall and Hardwick Hall (in Derbyshire).
Books, CD Roms and internet access where appropriate.
Content/
Key issues/questions / Knowledge
skills &
understanding / Learning outcomes:
To be able: / Suggested activities / Resources
What work was needed in order to build the Hall?
Who worked on the Hall and how do we know this?
What was the English Civil War and when did it take place?
What happened to Gawthorpe Hall during the Civil War? / 5a/b/c
4a/b
1a/b
2a
2c /
- to produce structured writing about the Hall using appropriate dates and terms that show increasing understanding about what they have learned.
- to answer questions about the past by using source information (Levels 2&3)
- to identify, combine and evaluate sources of information that relate to the construction work at the Hall.
- to place the dates of the Civil War on the timeline (Level 4)
- to give some reasons for, and results of :
ii) How the Civil War affected life in and around Gawthorpe Hall
(Levels 4&5) /
- Imagine they are Lord Shuttleworth and they are seeking to employ a master builder for the Hall. Write a list of all the features required in order to interview prospective builders. Role play activities based upon the interview.
- Using the Gawthorpe Hall original construction data 1600-1604, enter information into a data base under the fields job title, type of work, year, month and payment per day. Sort and interrogate the data e.g. who was paid the most and what they did.
- Listen to the story about the Civil War. Put the significant dates onto the time-line. Questions and answers about the opposing sides, and how this might affect life for the people at the Hall.
- Write an account of the Battle of Read Bridge, detailing Colonel Richard Shuttleworth’s involvement. Using a local map of the area, identify the possible routes taken by Shuttleworth and his men from the Hall to the Battle site, and discuss possible reasons as to why this site was chosen.
Story of the Civil War and appropriate background information using books and pictures.
Story of the Battle of Read Bridge, and maps detailing where this took place in relation to the Hall and the local area.