On Tuesday 31 October, Year 5 girls visited Palmer’s Farm, previously thought to be the home of Shakespeare’s mother, Mary Arden. This was part of our history studies into life in Tudor times.  

We began with a tour around the farm, led by our guide, ‘Farmer Joe’, who was dressed in full Tudor costume.

He showed us the animals the Tudors would have kept, including Cotswold sheep, a particularly large breed, Gloucester spotted pigs and long-horned English cows.

We walked through the apple orchard and picked up the fallen apples to feed the pigs, who were clearly very grateful!

After our walk around the farm, we watched a falconry display. The Tudors used birds of prey to catch food for their tables. Very wealthy Tudors would walk around with a falcon on their arm as a sign of their wealth.

Our visit to the farmhouse itself was filled with fascinating snippets of information. We found out how the Tudors cooked their food, why they used so many herbs, where they sat and how the women kept the hems of their dresses clean. We were also able to see a section of wall which showed the ‘wattle and daub’ method of building very clearly.

It was a most enjoyable visit and we certainly learned a lot.

Click here for more photos:

http://www.kingsleygallery.co.uk/index_files/maryarden.htm