Our History Trip to Battle Abbey was a fact-finding mission where were learnt about the events of the Battle of Hastings and the Medieval Church. Besides the fun of seeing the battlefield itself, we gained an insight into Norman methods of control, medieval life and the important role of monasteries.

It was really exciting to see the battlefield and walk where the Anglo-Saxons had formed their shield wall in defence of England. We charted the key events of the battle and our teacher pointed out where the Normans staged their fake retreats which finally broke the shield wall. We also imagined seeing the battle and hearing their war cries.

My personal highlight was going to see the battlefield, because it was really incredible to look out onto what looks like a normal field, knowing that many lives were lost and a significant historical event had happened in the very place I was standing.

After exploring the battlefield we then got to visit the monastery that William built after the Battle of Hastings. Religion was important to the Normans, we learnt about the daily routine of the monks in the abbey. Did you know that monks had eight services in 24 hours! They had seven services during the day and one at night!

During our visit to the monastery we also discovered that each part of the building had a very specific purpose. For example, the parlour was one of the few places where monks were allowed to have conversations.

The other main part of our visit included investigating the information in the visitor’s centre. We watched a short film about the Battle of Hastings and then found evidence from the displays about the Norman conquest. There were also replicas of the weaponry that each side used. These were chained to a wall so we could try to lift them. Some of them felt like they weighed a ton!

Amelia C, Year 7