Southgate Street Townscape Heritage Educational Resources Lesson 1 Lesson 1: Gloucester through the ages Before looking at the Southgate street area of the city it is important to have an overview of how Gloucester has changed over time. Therefore this lesson will look at the growth of Gloucester from Roman times through to the middle ages and finishing with present day. Lesson Resources Provided: Detailed timeline of the history of Gloucester Background information for the different periods of history for Gloucester Maps dating from the various periods of history for group activity Maps dating from the various periods of history for individual activity Flip chart / PowerPoint Photographs and images of Gloucester during different time periods Worksheet – what we know, what we want to find out Additional Lesson recourses needed for group activity: A3 Paper (for group timelines) Photocopies of maps Copies of the background information to add to the posters Copies of timeline of Gloucester Pens, pencils, scissors, glue, rulers Additional Lesson resources needed for individual activity: A3 paper Copy of maps to put onto the timeline Copies of the background information to add to the timelines Copies of timeline of Gloucester Pens, pencils, scissors, glue, rulers There are two different options for this lesson. A group based activity or an individual activity. Whole class introduction: 1. Explain to the children that the terms work will be looking at the growth and development of Southgate Street, in Gloucester. 2. Explain that before we can concentrate on this specific area of the city there is a need to look at the development of Gloucester through time. 3. Children to spend some time thinking about what they know about Gloucester and then key questions of what they would like to find out. 4. Work through the flipchart provided. Page | 12 Southgate Street Townscape Heritage Educational Resources Lesson 1 Group activity – Create a poster: 1. Children put into groups and each group concentrates on a different time period in the history of Gloucester. 2. Use copies of maps, photographs and background information to add as much detail as possible to posters. 3. Once completed the children to put the posters into chronological order for a classroom display. Individual activity – Create a timeline: 1. Provide the children with copies of the maps, timelines and the background information. 2. Children then to create a timeline. Put the maps into chronological order, add dates and any information they think is important next to the maps. Trip to Gloucester Museum An additional visit to Gloucester Museum / school handling session delivered by the Museum can be added to support this before the group and individual activities take place. Page | 13 Southgate Street Townscape Heritage Educational Resources Lesson 1 To arrange this please contact Sarah Orton Lifelong Learning Officer Gloucester Museums T: 01452 396139 www.gloucestermuseums.co.uk Gloucester Through the Ages at Gloucester Museum Key Ideas: Who has lived in Gloucester in the past and what kinds of objects did those people use? What events and industries have happened in Gloucester in the past? Who were Gloucester’s most key famous and influential people? Placing eras, events and objects in chronological order. How do we know things about the past? Effective speaking, listening, questioning and group discussion skills. This hands on session looks at the main periods of Gloucester’s local history through objects that have been used in the city from the Palaeolithic period to the modern day. The session can be conducted in two ways: Chronologically focus: Objects from different key periods in Gloucester’s History are looked at in chronological order to build up a picture of how the city has developed through the ages. Social change and technological advances are concentrated upon, along with the main focus of the city’s ‘business’ and the personalities that were around at the time. There is a chance for all pupils to handle each object. If wanted, there is also the possibility for a selection of pupils to wear a typical outfit from many of the key eras. Communication skills builder: Pupils are challenged to complete a timeline with dates, eras and pictures. They then work in small groups to identify an object, what is it for, who might have used it and where it should go on the timeline. Will each group be able to convince the rest of the class they know all about their object, or will the audience know better? Page | 14 Southgate Street Townscape Heritage Educational Resources Lesson 1 As well as providing a good introduction and context to local history, the forms of the session provide a meaningful and visual chronology for pupils. It demonstrates thematic links between eras and explores some technological advancements. Reasoning and investigation skills and effective teamwork are needed to make sense of the objects. The second approach also provides a fun opportunity in a relaxed environment away from the classroom, for pupils to practice speaking and listening skills and to try some persuasive speaking, based on the objects. After the taught handling session groups are encouraged to go and explore the galleries to look at the eras the objects have come from in more detail. Typically the taught handling element of the session lasts for an hour. This session in either version can be delivered as a handling session in the classroom. Page | 15 Lesson One Resources Gloucester through the ages Kingsholm Church of England Primary School 16 Lesson 1 Southgate Street Townscape Heritage Educational Resources Resources Background information showing the key time periods covered: ROMAN GLOUCESTER Gloucester began as a Roman town. It lies at the first point where the river Severn can be easily crossed, so it was a natural place to build a town. About 49 AD the Romans built a fort to guard the river crossing at Kingsholm. In 64 AD they built a new fort on the site of Gloucester town centre. About 75 AD the Roman army moved on, but the site of the fort was turned into a town for retired soldiers. The new town was called Glevum. Roman Gloucester was laid out in a grid pattern. In the centre of the town was a forum. This was a market place lined with shops and public buildings. However in the 4th century Roman civilization went into decline. The last Roman soldiers left Britain in 407 AD. Afterwards most Roman towns were abandoned. SAXON GLOUCESTER After the Romans left Britain it is thought that Gloucester was probably abandoned, although there may have been a small number of farmers living inside the walls and farming the land outside. The Saxons captured Gloucester in 577 AD after they won a battle against the native Celts. We do not know if there were people living in Gloucester at that time. In the late 7th century the Saxons founded a monastery at Gloucester and the town began to revive. Craftsmen and merchants came to live in Gloucester once again. In the early 8th century a writer called Gloucester 'one of the noblest cities in the kingdom'. In the late 9th century the Saxons created a network of fortified towns called burghs. In the event of a Danish attack all the men in the area would gather in the burgh to fight. Gloucester was made a burgh. In 915 AD men from Gloucestershire gathered in the town then went out to fight the Danes and defeated them in battle. Gloucester flourished in the 10th century. During this century it had a mint factory. A suburb grew up outside the North gate. Lesson 1 Southgate Street Townscape Heritage Educational Resources Resources In 909 AD the remains of St Oswald were brought to Gloucester. In those days people would go on long journeys called pilgrimages to visit the remains of saints. Many people came to Gloucester to visit the remains of St Oswald. During their visits they often spent money in the town. In 1153 the church which housed St Oswald's shrine was turned into a priory (a small abbey). GLOUCESTER IN THE MIDDLE AGES William the Conqueror came to Gloucester in 1085 and while he was there he ordered that the Domesday Book be written. Gloucester may have had a population of about 3,500 in the Middle Ages. By the standards of the time it was a fairly large town. (In those days towns were much smaller than they are today). Gloucester, it was said, ranked 10th among the towns of England for wealth. In the late 11th century the Normans built a wooden castle in Gloucester. In the 12th century it was rebuilt in stone. Gloucester was strategically important in the 12th and 13th centuries because there was frequent warfare between the Welsh and the English. The people of Gloucester benefited from the warfare since the garrison of the castle provided a market for their goods. In 1155 the king gave Gloucester a charter (a document giving the townspeople certain rights). The main industry in Medieval Gloucester was wool making. Raw wool was brought to the town from the Cotswolds. In Gloucester the wool was woven then fulled. That means the wool was cleaned and thickened by pounding it in water and clay. When the wool dried it was dyed. There was also a large leather industry in Medieval Gloucester. There were tanners and craftsmen who made things out of leather, such as shoes and gloves. In Gloucester iron was worked to make nails, weapons and tools. Cloth and grain were exported from Gloucester and wine was imported from France. There was also a considerable fishing industry in the Severn. In towns in the Middle Ages fire was a constant risk, since most buildings were made from wood with thatched roofs.