Peveril Castle School Trip

English Heritage

Castleton Hope Valley S33 8WQ

Founded soon after 1066 by William Peveril and overlooking Hope Valley and Cave Dale, Peveril Castle is a fantastic and historically important site to explore on a free self-led school visit.

An exciting and dramatic Norman castle overlooking the Derbyshire countryside offers educational opportunities for school groups, particularly history from 1066, when the castle was founded.

KS1 History: Significant historical events, people and places; study of castles

KS1-3 History: A local history study

KS2 History: A study of an aspect or theme in British history that extends pupils' chronological knowledge beyond 1066

KS3 History: The development of Church, state and society in Medieval Britain 1066-1509

Teacher Checklist

Risk Assessments
Inspection Visits
Free Places for Teachers
Free Places for Students

What activities are available during educational visits?

Mentioned in the Domesday survey, Peveril Castle is one of England's earliest Norman fortresses. The keep was built by Henry II in 1176. Displays in the visitor centre tell the story of Peveril as the administrative focus of the Royal Forest of the Peak, a royal hunting preserve since the 11th century. Climb the hill to visit the castle grounds, and explore the keep.

You can also download our free teaching resources to help support learning before, during and after your visit.

Which curriculum topics do we cater for?

Medieval School Trip

Medieval Society and Feudalism Castles

Discover Peveril Castle and get essential insight into life in a medieval castle using our interactive activity trail, including helpful teacher notes and an activity booklet for students. We also offer a teachers' resource pack, activity ideas and a castle timeline.

Saxons School Trip

Arts and Culture

Founded soon after 1066 by William Peveril and overlooking Hope Valley and Cave Dale, Peveril Castle is a fantastic and historically important site to explore on a free self-led school visit. Mentioned in the Domesday survey, Peveril Castle is one of England's earliest Norman fortresses. The keep was built by Henry II in 1176. Displays in the visitor centre tell the story of Peveril as the administrative focus of the Royal Forest of the Peak, a royal hunting preserve since the 11th century. Climb the hill to visit the castle grounds, and explore the keep.

What size groups do we cater for?

There are generally no limits to the size of education group, provided the group meets our ratios for leaders to learners. Our Discovery Visit workshops are suitable for groups of up to 30. Please see our school visit terms and conditions on our website for further details.

On-site classroom facilities?

Many of our sites have education rooms that can be booked. Please check the relevant schools property page before making a booking.

Is there first aid on site?

Yes.

Access for visitors with disabilities

Yes – please see our website for further details.

Visitors with Special Educational Needs (SEN)

Our facilities have been designed to be as accessible as possible in order to meet the different needs of our visitors. A summary of the facilities provided can be found on our schools property pages.
If you or anyone in your group has particular access needs, please let us know at the point of booking or get in touch with our bookings team before you visit. Please note that some facilities may require booking in advance.

Who are English Heritage?

English Heritage cares for over 400 historic buildings, monuments and sites - from world-famous prehistoric sites to grand medieval castles, from Roman forts on the edges of the empire to a Cold War bunker. Through these, we bring the story of England to life for over 10 million people each year, over 300,000 of whom are education visitors.
We’re the largest heritage provider of school trips and provide a wealth of free educational resources, alongside expert-led, paid-for workshops for KS1-4. The high-quality of our education provision has been recognised most recently with a number of Sandford awards. Caring for our places and their collections, for the benefit of this and future generations is a cornerstone of everything we do.
We are a charity, no. 1140351, and a company, no. 07447221, registered in England.