Meeting the Pope, a bishop and a 1500 year old king!

We had an excellent day visiting Rochester Cathedral on Monday! We hopped onboard the train from East Farleigh to Strood, noticing just how different the river had become close to its mouth to the River Thames! 

After a gentle stroll across Rochester Bridge, we arrived at the cathedral to meet our guides Helen and Vicky. Our visit began with a workshop exploring what faith looked like for the Anglo Saxons before Pope Gregory sent his monks on a mission to bring Christianity to the Kingdom of Kent. The class, who took on performing roles, did an excellent job of bringing this story to life! 

Once we'd had a quick snack, we began exploring what happened to the holy site after the Vikings invaded, gaining a whistle-stop tour through 1000 years of history discovering the impact of William the Conqueror, the attack by Robin Hood's nemesis King John and the destruction and change brought by Henry VIII.

As lunch was settling, we completed a full tour of the cathedral, using the In God's House worksheet to discover things we didn't know about the nave, the font, the Lady Chapel, the Fresco, the quire, the presbytery and lastly the site of the former monastery in the gardens. All of this knowledge will serve us well in RE over the coming weeks where Mrs Austin will be reinforcing all of our learning.

An exceptional trip with impeccable behaviour was finished with train ride home and long (and hot!) climb back to the school to reflect on our day.

Y4 Rochester Cathedral Trip