
Historical interpretation for schools.
The Village is also open on special days for pre-booked school parties. Please ask for more information when booking for your school.
April 28 to 30, May 1, 2, June 9 to 13, July 7 to 11, Oct 6 to 10
Phone: 01329846186
Notes for Teachers
The hamlet of Little Woodham was constructed by the English Civil War Society in
1984 in order to present a temporary exhibition of 17th C life and soldiery. The
exhibition concluded after a successful two weeks and local people. fearing that
the site would be lost, formed the Gosport Living History Society. The Society,
in the subsequent years, presented the historical interpretation at the site,
with the Borough Council of Gosport providing the finance and much of the
administration. In 1995, Gosport Living History Society became a Registered
Charity and now undertakes all the administration and financial considerations
of the site and presentation. Members of the Society are all unpaid volunteers,
and new members, of whatever age, sex, race or religion are very welcome.
Due to the
initial temporary nature of the construction, the site of Little Woodham had
presented the Society with numerous historical anomalies. Another contributing
factor to the difficulties of recreating an image of the past has been current
planning regulations and the consideration of the safety of visitors. The
Society has, accordingly, had to compromise on many facets of building materials
and construction methods. The everyday objects used to furnish the re-enactment
are not museum pieces, and the Society intends the presentation itself to be the
direct opposite of most museum displays. Within our 20th century limitations, we
offer a reconstructed image of an English society in the past based upon our
members' research. which is constantly being updated. As an educational charity
we aim to educate by interaction visitors, of all ages, have the opportunity
to question and criticize, but most importantly, we hope our re-enactment will
make everyone look more closely at the image of the past which they have
constructed in their minds.
The site chosen for the
construction of the hamlet was selected because of its availability, not
historical precedent. There is no record of an occupied site here and no
geographical reason why one should have existed. Little Woodham, therefore, is a
reconstructed hamlet drawing upon typical elements represented in similar
hamlets in southern England. The range of crafts and occupations presented is
considerably more than could normally be expected in a small hamlet, but this
has been done deliberately to offer the widest educational experience for
visitors.
The Society has located
the hamlet in the historical
Parish of Rowner and allied it to the nearby
Grange Farm, which
existed in the 17th century. This allows us to use an agricultural base for the
hamlet, which is typical of most rural parishes of the period. The location also
allows us to draw on the history of the surrounding towns, e.g.
Portsmouth and Southampton, to widen the
historical interpretation.
We ask our visitors, young and old, to suspend disbelief for an hour or two, and take a journey into an image of the past. Please do not forget we rely heavily on your participation, so please question us, the more you ask, the more you will know. Finally, we wish you an enjoyable visit, one which we hope you will recommend to your friends and wish to return again.
The hamlet of Little
Woodham is built within the lands of
Grange Farm which occupied this site since the
Norman Conquest and which in the 16th and 17th centuries was owned by the
Brune
Family,
Grange Farm forms part of the
Parish
of Rowner; parish units being central to the
origin of community life in the 17th century.
Little Woodham is
situated about two miles west of the little town of Gosport as it was in the
17th century. It was a fishing village in the process of developing into a
trading port and of significance in its support
of
Portsmouth.
Across the mouth of the
harbour lies Portsea
island.
Portsmouth town covered a
small area near the mouth of the
harbour and was, with its key situation on the
centre of the south coast, of great importance to the security of the nation. It
was a significant
Navy and
trading
port visited by ships and trades from all
nations. Due to its international role it presented an intercultural and
cosmopolitan aspect rare in 17th century towns. The road links reflected its
national significance: the road to London being notably important.
Within the family
sphere, the size of its unit depended very much on financial viability and the
station in life, of its head. While wealthy members of society reared
large families, generally speaking, the poorer the family the fewer
Children survived to adulthood.
It is now generally
agreed among historians that while children of land-owning families may well
have contracted marriage while in their teens, most young people of poorer
backgrounds
did not marry until they were at least in their twenties,
and could be self-supporting. Dowries were commonly expected to be equivalent to
one year's income of the bride's father.
Many children died within one
year of birth. If they lived to adulthood and then as women survived the trauma
of repeated childbirth's or as men survived accident or disease, they may well
have reached old age. Some even exceeding their expected life span limit of
'three score years and ten'.
It is important to
remember that the historical interpretation presented at Little Woodham is not
intended to be representational of only those people who would have worked on
Grange Farm within the
Parish of Rowner in the
17th century.
In order to make our presentation as educationally valuable as possible, we represent trades and occupations existing in many parts of Hampshire in the period.
Our younger visitors are sometimes very surprised that villagers speak to them as they would to children of the 17th century who are expected to 'know their manners', 'respect their parents' and 'treat adults as superiors'.
Little Woodham presents life in a rural society which is largely outside the experience of our younger visitors. Villagers visit the local towns for their markets or other trading opportunities but the major part of their existence is within the parish boundaries. The cycle of the agricultural year shapes their daily lives and gives a meaning to their existence.
As well as the relationship between adults and children presenting significant changes over the centuries, this can also be seen in the attitudes of men and women to each other and to people of different stations in society.
While visitors can walk around our village and watch what is going on, their experience is greatly enhanced by questioning the villagers about their work, their homes, families, attitudes, society and perceptions of their everyday lives. All our villagers will be pleased to answer any questions of particular interest to individual pupils.
| Texture crafts | Inkle/caddis tape weaving | |
| Wool and flax spinning | ||
| Lace making | ||
| Seamstressing | ||
| Dyeing | ||
| Woodland craftspeople | Woodtumers | |
| Charcoal makers | ||
| Wheelwrights | ||
| Sawyers | ||
| Household life | Dairywork | |
| Food and drink preparation | ||
| Washing | ||
| Accommodation | buildings | |
| furniture | ||
| sanitary arrangements | ||
| Itinerants & travellers | Washerwoman | |
| Scribe | ||
| Bowman | ||
| Apothecary | ||
| Peddler | ||
| Soldiery | ||
| KUW | Making their own bread |
| Surveying uses of energy/electricity in the classroom/home | |
| Grandparent visit talking about past beyond living memory | |
| Make junk models of village houses, e.g. focusing on chimneys/thatch | |
| Creative development | Use variety of media e.g. collage/clay to respond to what they saw, smelt, touched |
| Listen to and respond to music from 16th and 17th centuries | |
| Learn a 16th or 17th century type circle dance, e.g. Sellengers Round, or ring game, e.g. Old Roger is Dead/Round and Round the Village |
| Language & literacy | Discussion of visit | |
| Listen to nursery rhymes and stones from the period | ||
| Class book using photographs and communally written text 'Our Visit to the Past' | ||
| Class poem e.g. | I smelt.. | |
| I felt.. | ||
| PSD | Circle time how I felt when I visited the village |
| Discussion what was different | |
| Eat suitable food, e.g. home-made bread, frumenty (recipes available) discuss taste, etc. |
| English | Role play |
| Thank you letter | |
| Telling stories /poems/rhymes from period | |
| Class paper using IT |
| Science | Feely bag - sorting materials found in village |
| Investigation - materials for clothing wool vs. nylon, record results using IT program. | |
| Bread making | |
| Clay pot making | |
| Investigation - thatch, build a house to explore different materials | |
| Exploration - appliances using electricity, construct simple circuits |
| Technology | Design and make a cart for carrying wood |
| Use construction kits to explore structure of houses |
| History | Sequence pictures of homes across the ages |
| Use portraits to investigate clothing of the period | |
| 17th century half day role play | |
| Cook period food (recipes available) | |
| Mystery bag - discuss a selection of artefacts - what can they tell us | |
| Study of a famous person/event, e.g. Guy Fawkes/Gunpowder Plot |
| Geography | Make a 3D or pictorial map of the village |
| Explore the effects of weather/seasons on the village, e.g. farming cycles, what do you do without glass in the windows |
| Art | Weaving wool and paper |
| Make and decorate period pots | |
| Explore the use of printing, as used in wall hangings | |
| Discuss and compare samples of lace weaving from a variety of periods/cultures | |
| Respond to paintings by known artists of the period, esp. Bruegel, Vermeer |
| Music | Listen to and respond to music from the period |
| English | Role play 16th century day |
| Make a chapbook | |
| Writing a letter - one 'villager' to another | |
| Comparing language in primary and secondary source materials |
| Science | Investigate effect on dough when heated/baked |
| Make charcoal (in a tin) | |
| Explore the effects of yeast |
| Technology | Use construction kits/paper strips to design building structures |
| Design a way of churning butter that does not hurt your arm | |
| Design a cart that will carry pottery without breaking it |
| Geography | Study maps of the area or period |
| Discuss the effect of weather on agriculture | |
| Look at changing land use in the area over time (or a similar area) |
| Art | Use scraperfoil to create own 'woodcuts' picture |
| Respond to artists of the period, e.g. Bruegel, Vermeer | |
| Explore use of print making, as used in wall hangings | |
| Study examples of pottery and use a source for their own design |
| Music | Listen and respond to music of the period |
| Learn songs from the period, especially rounds | |
| Use music to create atmosphere of the alehouse |
| History | Role play 16th Century day, including scenarios exploring various aspects |
| Make and taste authentic food | |
| Timeline - placing Tudors | |
| Listen to and explore period stories | |
| Look at and compare other sources with the village, e.g. books, photographs |
Key Elements 2b 2c 5a b and c
Within S.U.2 Political changes (b) Social changes (c)
e.g. role play a 1 7th century day as a means of presenting particular aspects of study
Before entering the Village there are a few aspects of safety to bring to your notice
Please ensure that your pupils stay with their prearranged groups at all time. Do not let them wander unsupervised. Your group must stay as a whole unless specifically instructed otherwise by a villager who is organizing the groups.
There are many open fireplaces
or firepits. Some of the fires will be in use whether to cook on, keep warm by
or as a part of a trade of craft. Do not forget that when a fire dies down, the
embers and even the surrounding bricks may stay hot for several hours. Therefore
make sure that noone strays too close to anything than even looks like a fire.
All of the tools that you see
in the village are working tools that are generally kept sharp and in a good
condition. They are NOT display items only. Some of the villagers may allow the
children to handle the tools or even use them under close supervision but please
make sure it is acceptable before children are allowed to touch anything.
On occasion, there may be
soldiers present at the Village. If this is so, do no forget that this safety
warning also applies to all their weapons.
At the lower end of the Village
there is a pond. Please do no allow your pupils to approach too near the edge,
as the water is at times quite deep. There is also two or three feet of thick
mud at the bottom!
If anything untoward should
happen, first aid kits are available at several points and there is generally at
least one qualified first aider on site.
In the event of a fire you will
hear whistle blasts as a warning.
There are two distinct
different warnings:
Short blasts ( a localised
fire) Stay exactly where you are with your whole group together until you are
told to move by a villager.
Long continuous blasts (a large
fire) This means you must leave the village. The villager with you will lead you
to the nearest/safest exit. Please leave in an orderly fashion keeping your
whole group with you and in control. Once out of the Village, make sure you can
account for all your group members.
Toilets
Public toilets are available by the coach park. Please note these are a few minutes walk from the Village itself.
Shopping
A small souvenir shop is positioned at the exit from the village. This sells a range of appropriate souvenirs suitable for children, including postcards and authentic games. Many small items are available for under a pound. Cold drinks and snacks are normally available.
Picnicking
Unfortunately it is not possible for visitors to picnic within the confines of the seventeenth century village. However a grass area is available outside the village. near the coach park.
Further information
If you require further
information e-mail, we will be pleased to help
roger@portsdown.fsnet.co.uk