School History Workshops

02/09/2026

School History Workshops - A Fond Farewell to Our Time‑Travelling Adventures

After fifteen unforgettable years, the School History Workshops time machine has finally disrupted the space‑time continuum for the last time.

What began in 2011 - after both of us were made redundant from English Heritage - grew into an extraordinary journey. Together, we travelled across more than 2000 years of history, visited countless classrooms across the country, and had the privilege of sharing our passion with thousands of young minds. From Romans to Rockets, Stone Age to Sieges, smugglers to soldiers, we’ve wielded weapons, fired siege engines, handled artefacts, and filled classrooms with the sounds of yesteryear with joy, curiosity, and no small amount of theatrical enthusiasm.

To every teacher who welcomed us, every pupil who asked a brilliant question, every school that trusted us with their learning: thank you. It has been the greatest privilege of our working lives.

Although our school workshops are now coming to an end, we will continue to support our long‑standing partnerships with local museums, heritage attractions, and community events. The work of bringing history to life - especially here in our corner of the world - remains close to our hearts.

From both Steve and Vicky:
Thank you.
Travelling through time with you has been the greatest of adventures.

06/08/2026

🌍 Where could your curiosity take you?

Have you started your entry for the Rockwatch Rockstars Young Geologists' Competition 2026 yet?

Every summer, young people from across the UK amaze us with projects inspired by everything from fossils and dinosaurs to volcanoes, crystals, caves, mountains, meteorites and our changing planet. There's no set theme – if geology has sparked your imagination, we'd love to see where your curiosity has taken you!

🏆 Thanks to our long-standing sponsors, the Anglo American Foundation, there are some fantastic prizes to be won.

But that's not all...
✨ Outstanding entries may be featured on the Rockwatch website and in future editions of Rockwatch magazine.
✨ It's a brilliant achievement to include on college, university and apprenticeship applications.
✨ Many former Rockstars have gone on to study geology, palaeontology, Earth science and related subjects before building exciting scientific careers.

Who knows where your project could lead?

📅 Entries close on 31 August 2026, so there's still time to investigate, create and share your discoveries.

Visit the Rockwatch website for entry forms, competition tips and plenty of inspiration to help you get started.

We can't wait to be inspired by you!

13/07/2026

10/07/2026

What did the Chapter House frieze look like originally? 🤔

That’s exactly the question one of our volunteers, Philip Richter, set out to answer. After digging into some research, he discovered an 1859 article by William Burges in The Ecclesiologist (vol. 20), which recorded traces of the frieze’s original colour and described its condition at the time.

Using Burges’ notes, he was able to edit a modern photograph to show how the frieze might have appeared in the 13th century.

So now we’re curious, do you prefer it painted or plain?

01/07/2026

110 ten years ago today, on 1st July 1916, the Battle of the Somme started.

This photograph shows German trenches that were captured on the first day of the Somme.
The battle continued for 141 days, until 18th November 1916, and is remembered as one of the costliest battles of the First World War.

To learn more about the role of the Royal Engineers during the First World War, visit us. Travel through a WW1 trench and see original equipment. Find out howe to get here at: www.re-museum.co.uk.



Reference number: 5/150/38

25/06/2026

Our newest exhibition opens next Saturday!

‘Raising the Dead’ explores one community who lived and died in the Folkestone area during the Early Medieval period. The exhibition opens on Saturday July 4th and closes on Wednesday the 30th of September. Admission is free.

Featuring finds seen on Digging for Britain in 2025 and 2026, ‘Raising the Dead’ displays the grave goods of four people who died in the fifth and sixth centuries. It includes a spectacular sixth century ring sword with a silver-gilt hilt. The sword even revealed a new secret while we prepared it for display.

Kent was its own kingdom until the ninth century. Its culture was distinct from the rest of Anglo-Saxon England. These people’s remains, and the objects buried with them, help us tell their community’s story. They show us what they valued, how they mourned, and their links to the wider world.

Please note that this exhibition includes images of human remains.

24/06/2026

🫖 The Commutation Act of 1784 🫖

☕️ What the Commutation Act Did ☕️

• Slashed the tea duty from 119% → 12.5%, making legal tea affordable again.
• Destroyed the smuggling trade, which had flourished under the old tax regime.
• Stabilised the East India Company, which was struggling financially.
• Shifted revenue strategy: Pitt the Younger replaced lost tea‑tax income with other duties (e.g., on houses, coffee, cocoa‑nuts). Wikipedia

🧭 Why It Mattered

For over a century, high tea taxes had encouraged widespread smuggling - something very familiar in the Cinque Ports!

The 1784 Act finally acknowledged reality: lowering the tax would increase legitimate sales and thus overall revenue.

It worked.

31/05/2026

Who was your gateway into the world of history? A king, a queen, a rebel, a saint…

Me: