Castles – KQ4 – What were medieval castles like to live in and how can we possibly know when so many are now ruins?

This five-part lesson starts with pupils in role as workers for company charged with recreating what a medieval castle would have been like in peace. They watch a short video to give them a few ideas before working in groups on their own focused research.

Having presented their findings they carry out a brief diagnostic task based on a picture of a medieval castle containing anachronistic features. Which are they and what would they have had in their place? Finally, the focus switches to how can we know possibly know all this detail when it was 700 years ago and many castles have fallen into ruin. A Who wants to be a Millionaire quiz asks them to identify the sources that are most and  least likely to be helpful when researching 4 aspects of castle life.