October & November 2024 – Before planning your visit, please check our ‘Visitor Notices’ for accessibility updates and one-off changes to opening times. Click here to view.
NEWCASTLE CATHEDRAL
A BEACON OF LIGHT
Key Stage 1 & 2
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Workshops last 2 hours and cost £100.
Cathedral Characters
From chemists to botanists, wine merchants to engineers, Newcastle Cathedral celebrates a whole host of people who have made significant contributions to the city and beyond. Learn about their achievements and important parts of North East history through hands on learning around the Cathedral. This cross-curricular workshop explores History, Art and Design and DT.
Treasure Chest
Something has gone missing from the Cathedral – an ancient treasure centuries old! All that is left is an empty casket. Solve the clues using historical sources to find out what has been taken and where it might be hidden, and along the way explore the history and artistic treasures of this special building. This workshop will support students to study a site significant in the locality and to develop their methods of historical enquiry.
Inside Out
Cathedrals are buildings that are considered special places and can encourage feelings of awe and wonder.
In this workshop we will learn about the elements that make a Cathedral special and design and build our own special place.
Made by Hand
Delve into the work of some of the most talented artists and craftspeople over the last 900 years. Learn some traditional techniques and carve your own mythical creature, inspired by Ralph Hedley’s astounding 1880s quire in Newcastle Cathedral.
Derring-do in the Civil War
Using the Cathedral as a focus for local and national history during the times of Civil War and Reformation, we will introduce students to this complex topic. An interactive session, including roleplay, will explore the long history of the Cathedral and the city and re-enact some key Cathedral stories involving canny cunning and guile. This cross-curricular workshop explores History and Drama.
Going Round in Circles
Search for symbols high and low in the vast collection of art, craft and design works held in Newcastle Cathedral. Explore why symbols are used and what certain symbols mean, whilst creating your own artistic response. This workshop supports students to produce creative work, explore their ideas and record their experiences, evaluate and analyse creative works using the language of art, craft and design. You will also learn about great artists, craft makers and designers and understand the historical and cultural development of their art forms. This cross-curricular workshop explores Maths, RE and Art and Design.
Trace of Place
This interactive workshop involves a cross-curricular exploration touching on the historical and geographical reasons why the Cathedral is located where it is. RE and Art ideas and techniques will be utilised to understand why our iconic building looks like it does. Students will be supported to map its key features and examine ancient panoramic maps of Newcastle in addition to creating their own city landscape silhouettes.
Restoration or Ruination?
Students will need their detective abilities to discover how the Cathedral has changed over time using historical skills to piece together the changes. We will travel back in time to 1793 to take part in our interactive story ‘The Great Enquiry’. Students will give their verdict on one of the most controversial set of changes in the Cathedral’s long history. This cross-curricular workshop explores History and Drama.