Warwick Castle raises the portcullis on history with new online learning library

Warwick Castle’s Edwardian library may be off-limits for the time being, but a new online 'Learning Library' is taking the Castle experience online.

With families across the country returning to home-schooling during lockdown, history experts at Warwick Castle have developed a range of free resources providing educational activities for children of all ages.

The 'Learning Library' contains a host of new multimedia resources including puzzles, quizzes, videos, downloadable colouring sheets and more, suitable for children from pre-schoolers to Key Stage 3.

One of the Library's features is a 360° virtual tour of the interior and state rooms with facts about each room’s history and purpose on the way.

People can explore the castle from the Great Hall with its extensive collection of weapons and armour, to the battlements and grounds themselves.

Other activities include guidance for designing your own castle with a step-by-step guide to key features, key facts about the incredible birds of prey that live at the castle, and fun puzzles to help children learn about medieval warfare, from the art of longbow to the colossal trebuchet.

The castle team said the resources can be used for independent study or fun as well as starting points for discussion - and inspiration for future visits when the castle reopens later this year.

The Library will be updated on a regular basis with new content.

Next to go live include a letter-writing project with templates for postcards, letters or a drawing to send to 'Princess Florence', and a historical ordering task based on the Kingmaker exhibition.

Nick Blofeld, divisional director at Warwick Castle, said: “Our online resources are a great way to share the interactive learning experience that Warwick Castle offers, bringing history to life even though our gates are currently closed.

“We hope these materials provide an interesting insight into the castle, as well as a useful resource for teachers and educational fun for families whilst they are unable to experience the castle in person.”

Anyone trying out the new resources is encouraged to show off the results of their activities on social media, tagging @warwickcastleofficial