Outreach Workshop

As a Medieval castle all of our staff and volunteers are medieval enthusiasts. Through activities like weapons training with foam sword and lances, medieval dance and music, medieval food tasting, gingerbread making, artefact handling, dressing up in replica armour, medieval medicine demos and more we can explore any aspect of life in the Medieval period from the Norman Conquest to the Black Death and anything else you can imagine!

The Castle was in use throughout Tudor and Stuart times as the prison for Northumberland and a place of trial and punishment. It was also used as the headquarters for the defence of Newcastle in the Civil War. We can teach about any and all of the gruesome topics connected with these periods including crime and punishment (including handling replica instruments of punishment and running a mock trial), the Civil War, including handling replica weapons and armour, and training as a pikeman to march to the drums of war, daily life in the Tudor and Stuart periods with handling of replica artefacts and lots more, including trying some Tudor food!

Our Greek outreach workshop offer a chance to train as a hoplite warrior with foam spears and shields; eat ancient Greek food; explore Greek democracy and the differences between Athens and Sparta; learn a myth about the Greek Gods and act out a Greek style drama, and will learn about the Greek attitudes to health and medicine by learning about Hippocrates and the 4 humours.

Our Celts workshop works beautifully alongside our Romans workshop, and looks at life in Iron Age Britain before the Romans, including food, lifestyle, warfare and storytelling. Have a go with a rotary Quern, paint your face with 'woad', practice with slings and more! The fascinating lives of the so called "barbarians" of iron age Britain will be brought to life for your class by our enthusiastic and knowledgeable team.

Newcastle Castle sits right on top of the Roman fort of Pons Aelius on Hadrian's Wall, so our team have a wealth of information on the Romans in Britain. Our workshops allow your class to look at and handle replicas of the weapons and armour used by Roman soldiers, but also the things you'd find them carrying on the march - from entrenching tools to board games and the sponge on a stick... Your class will also learn to drill and march like Roman soldiers with foam spears and shields. We also look at Roman daily life, and give your class a chance to taste authentic Roman recipes, learn about their gods, religion and houses and much more!

Have a visit from a Saxon monk or thane, and learn all about life in Anglo-Saxon England by reliving it! We can offer a huge range of activities including storytelling with period musical instruments for your class to learn the story of Beowulf and the Dragon; training in a Saxon shield wall and refighting a legendary battle with foam swords and shields; taste some real Anglo-Saxon cooking; learn to write like a Saxon monk with a quill pen and ink; handle replicas of Saxon weapons and armour, and get a close look at real and replica artefacts from a Saxon home to learn about life in a Saxon village.

Have a visit from a Viking warrior and learn about how the Vikings first raided, then invaded, then settled in Britain. Your class will hear real Viking music and stories like legends of the Gods Thor and Loki, and the tale of the hero Grettir. They will learn to take part in a shield wall battle with safe foam swords and shields. They will also learn all about Viking home life, including getting to taste and even make some authentic Viking food!

We can cover a number of different topics from the Victorian period linked to the history of the Castle. From the Castle's use as a Sunday School in the 1800s we can look at Victorian classroom life, giving your pupils a chance to try writing with a slate and pencil to finding out about the horrible punishments! We also look at Crime and Punishment and the police force in the Victorian era, examining prison, prison reform, police training and equipment and more. We also look more at Victorian Daily Life in our workshop on the Great Fire of Gateshead and Newcastle in 1854, so there's something for everyone!

We offer a range of resources, activities and workshops exploring the history of Newcastle Upon Tyne and the North East, and have developed activities for the Bigg Market Project. We can also look at the area local to your school to help you understand how it has changed over time and how to research your local history.