Lower School Arts Week: 'Build a Castle'

Date: Thursday 13 March 2008

The corridors at St Edmund's resound to the blow of hammers, rasp of saws, and clang of shields (if cardboard clangs...). Every year the popular Arts Week at St Edmund's adopts a particular theme. This week all the Lower School pupils from Forms 3 to 5 hang up their schoolbags and turn to their craft tools in a giant joint venture to build a castle.

The pictures you see show Form 5Y with their painted shields. In the next instalment you will see for yourself the mediaeval carpenters at work with their hammers and saws - together, you will be glad to read - with very Health and extremely Safety-conscious staff for each little group of artisans. Many aspects of building a castle are entrusted to the pupils: building a wooden portcullis and drawbridge, arranging the 'stones', and researching heraldic designs for their shields. And of course, as you can see in the picture below, every artisan has to clean and clear up his or her own workshop.

A visit to the actual castle at Dover has had to be postponed owing to the high winds at the coast; but by the time the visit does take place we shall have some experienced castle-builders of our own. It's a serious business!

All photographs: copyright Thomas Hooley 2008