The L6 Art History pupils took a guided tour of Norwich Cathedral to learn about its architecture. Despite their familiarity with this spectacular building, pupils were still surprised to learn more about its fascinating history and observe things they had never noticed before. They even had a go at building their own arches.

L6 Pupil, Ella Murray, tells us about her experience of the day;

"On Thursday, the Lower 6 Art History class had a tour of the cathedral, focusing on the architectural side of this amazing building. We started in the nave, learning about the history of the cathedral and spent time looking at the bosses on the ceiling of the cathedral, trying to figure out which biblical story was being depicted. We also learnt how the Normans would have built the arches that line the nave, by building our own small-scale arch as a class, and learnt key terms and functions related to arches, such as the keystone. We then walked down to the choir stalls, looking at areas of the cathedral that we might not have noticed before – the musket bullet holes in some columns, and how one of the spiral columns near the main altar was never fully finished. Next, we went to the presbytery. There we discussed how the 96-meter-tall spire has changed over time, and that the spire we currently have is in fact the third spire to crown the cathedral. We admired how the presbytery is naturally lit due to the numerous windows that line the walls. We then walked through the ambulatory, learning that this walkway was for Norman peasants to use, as the presbytery was considered ‘too holy’ for them to stand in. We finished in the cloisters, learning about how the cathedral grounds were larger in the past, including an infirmary and living quarters for the resident monks. Overall, the trip was very inspirational and interesting, it was so useful to see in real life the architectural elements we have been studying in the classroom while also seeing a space we frequent so regularly with fresh eyes."