Museum Education Services for Schools
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1. Introduction
The Museum is located in Queen Mary’s Tower, a two storey 16th Century building within the Inner Ward of this superb medieval castle originally founded in 1092. Within the Castle are the barracks and other military buildings of what became the Border Regiment’s Depot in 1873 until 1959. It houses the County HQ of the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment (formerly RHQ King’s Own Royal Border Regiment to 1st July 2006), a Detachment of the 4th Battalion Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment TA and the HQ of Cumbria Army Cadet Force. The site is an ancient monument in the care of English Heritage and open to the public as a visitor attraction of which the Museum forms a major part (open 361 days per year).
The Museum was opened in the Castle in 1932 and has been in its present building since 1973. It houses the collections of Cumbria’s County Infantry Regiment – beginning with the 34th Cumberland and 55th Westmorland Regiments 1702-1881, which became The Border Regiment 1881-1959, The King’s Own Royal Border Regiment from 1959, which since July 2006 is now part of the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment (King’s, Lancashire & Border). The collections cover the history of the Regiment’s Regular Army units, Territorials, Volunteers and County Militia and the Home Guard, plus the history of other military units associated with the County. The Museum also has material relating to general military history of the County and including the Home Front in both WW1 & WW2.
The King’s Own Royal Border Regiment Museum Trust is an independent charitable trust (Charity No. 271943) and the Museum has Accredited Status (No. 435) under the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council Accreditation.
2. The Collections
The object collections comprise of a wide range of uniform, textiles, weapons, equipment, silver, medals, musical instruments, paintings, prints, drawings, personal items, memorabilia and campaign relics. The archives include a wide range of original documents from unit war diaries to personal papers, casualty records, photographs and books. Many of the items and documents have strong personal and local links
A significant proportion of the object collections are on display in the two main galleries. There is a walk through section of WW1 Trench and a range of material relating to both the First and Second World War on display. Access to the archives and reserve collections can be made by appointment.
3. How can schools and other educational bodies, or groups access the collections :-
3.1 General visit to the Museum to look at the displays.
3.2 Specific planned visit to the Museum to look at a particular period e.g. WW1, WW2 to look at the displays and exhibitions with the option of a talk/demonstration given by the Curator or a member of staff to the group(s). A large handling collection is available in addition to items on permanent displays, with archives, photocopied material and audio-visual support.
3.3 Outreach – the Curator can visit schools with a broad range of original items (uniform, equipment, personal items for handling) and archive material to provide teaching sessions on WW1 & WW2. These sessions can be arranged by appointment.
3.4 Teacher information & planning - teaching staff are welcome to visit to Museum individually, or as part of an inset course to discuss what they need and what can be offered on a visit, to obtain information on the museum, familiarise themselves with the collections and discover ways in which the Museum can support sections of the National Curriculum. This can include specific historical topics or periods and also thematic subjects such as art & design, textiles, technology, literature etc.
3.5 Provision of guidance and sources of information for individual or class projects – e.g. use of War Memorials, The National Archives , Common Wealth War Grave Commission, local Libraries and County Records Offices and sources for family history/genealogical research etc.
4. Facilities
4.1 Teaching space
Sessions at the Museum are provided in the Museum’s exhibition galleries and in the English Heritage Education Base (all in the Inner Ward at the Castle). The Education base will comfortably accommodate a class size group of up to 30 with staff. Each of the two Museum gallery areas can accommodate a class size group, but at certain times of the year, especially between April and September the Castle and Museum can be very busy.
4.2 Coach/minibus parking is available close by on Devonshire Walk car park on the west side of the Castle, or Bitts Park to the east; there is a coach drop-off point at Tullie House Museum opposite the Castle and access to the Castle is via the underpass at the same location. Disabled parking is available in the Castle for cars and small minibuses only.
4.3 Toilets and disabled toilet are available on site in the Inner Ward. Space can be made available for classes to have a packed lunch or picnic on site.
4.4. Disabled access – the site is only partially accessible to wheelchairs. The Education Rooms (4.1 above) – the education is on ground level but access is across a cobbled surface. There is a small step at the Museum entrance, but staff will provide assistance and the ground floor of the Regimental Museum can accommodate wheelchairs.
4.5 Lunch/eating facilities – space to picnic in good weather is available with picnic tables. In cold, wet or inclement weather the education room can be used. There is no café provision on site. A range of hot & cold drinks, ice-cream etc. is available from the English Heritage Shop.
4.6. Shop – the Museum has a shop selling a range of publications (many relating to WW1 & WW2), souvenirs etc.
5. Booking arrangements and charges
Please note that pre-booked educational visits in term time to Carlisle Castle including the Museum are free. All visitor administration is through English Heritage and educational visits should be booked at least 14 days or more in advance. An English Heritage Booking Form has to be completed. For a specific taught session with handling collections the Museum charges a fee of £50 per session.
Contact the Museum to arrange and plan the visit in person, by telephone 01228 532774, fax 01228 521275, or by click here to e-mail us .
Visits by the Curator to schools are charged pro rata on a daily rate of £160 plus travel costs @ 25p per mile.
6. Range of educational work and subjects covered over the last ten years
Principal Aim - to encourage pupils to think about the period that they are studying, what life was like, social and economic conditions, technology and how these things may have affected the way people thought and acted.
6.1 Primary & Junior Schools – visits to the Museum and outreach by the Museum to study/look at material from the Second World War with specific interest on Life in Britain on the Home Front during WW2 with a particular emphasis on what was happening locally in Cumbria and what local servicemen and women from Cumbria were doing during WW2. These include joint sessions on WW2, which have been done in conjunction with Julie Wooding the Learning and Access Officer & colleagues at Tullie House Museum, Carlisle mainly for Year 4-6 pupils. Over the last couple of years an increasing interest in the subject of Remembrance connected with Poppy Day/Remembrance Sunday and with specific reference to the First World War – Year 2 onwards.
6.2 Secondary Schools
Visits by secondary schools are less frequent due to restrictions imposed by the number of classes in a year, timetables and costs. The Museum therefore provides a large number of outreach sessions with handling material and archives. The subjects covered :–
Life in the Trenches/First World War - the nature of the War seen through what was happening to the local Regiment, trench warfare, the effects of the War on Cumbria – mainly Year 9.
The Home Front & World War Two covering Air Raid precautions, the Blackout, war work and local industry, Women at War and the family, propaganda, recycling, food & rationing, Auxiliary Services, the Home Guard, the local Regiment and other military sites in Cumbria – mainly Year 9, 10/11 GCSE sets
Medicine in Warfare – lecture to support the History of Medicine aspect of GCSE History syllabus - this involves teaching sessions by the Curator looking at conditions in which soldiers served, the effects of hygiene, climate etc., medical conditions, surgery, the changes which new practices, drugs etc. affected the way in which casualties could be treated; changes in warfare, types of wounds and how to treat them – burns, chemical warfare, system of triage etc. – Year 10/11
Writing & Written Records in the First World War - session have been provided to support A & AS Level English sets at the Museum looking at a range of written sources using original material – official records, newspapers, journalism and propaganda, personal letters and diaries, poetry and biography (two officers of the Border Regiment had their poetry published during the War and both were killed).
Citizenship – in 2007-2008 the Museum developed a six-lesson course for the Citizenship syllabus for Year 11 pupils in association with a teacher from Wyndham School Egremont with grant support from the Museum Libraries and Archives Council’s learning Links programme. The project specifically using objects and archive material from the collections and especially material with a personal, or local link.
Vietnam – new subject developed for A & AS levels history students supporting curriculum work at William Howard School, Brampton since 2009.
Aspects of social and economic history in Britain 1850-1950 – support for this A & A/S Level personal module providing an overview on Britain in this period (warfare, empire, technology, industrialisation, social change, political development, role of women in society, impact of the two World Wars, leisure etc) – work done in 2011 with Richard Rose Central Academy, Carlisle.
Other Subjects – the collections include material that would support other more thematic subjects – geography, art & design, technology, fashion, music, other cultures, photography, Victorians, sport etc. We have recently had a teacher looking at photographs and documents relating to the Regiment in India as part of a general study of the country and its culture.
Sessions and education support have been provided to the following secondary schools in Cumbria over the last ten years –St. Aidan’s County High School (now part of the Richard Rose Central Academy), Newman RC School, Morton School (now Richard Rose Morton Academy) and Trinity School in Carlisle, Beacon Hill School Aspatria; Kirkby Stephen Grammar School; Queen Katherine’s School in Kendal; Cockermouth High School; Ullswater Community College Penrith; Kirkbie Kendal School, Kendal; Solway Community School, Silloth; William Howard School, Brampton; and Wyndham School Egremont (now part of the West Coast Academy) and Nelson Thomlinson School, Wigton.
In 2010 the Museum delivered 48 presentations to 69 primary, junior, secondary, under-graduate and post-graduate groups.
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