Upper Sixth historians explore Churchill’s War Rooms

Last week, Upper Sixth history students travelled to London for a day of immersive historical study, connecting their A Level topics with real-world artefacts and sites.

The morning was spent at the Order of St John in Clerkenwell, where students explored the remarkable history of an organisation whose origins stretch back to early twelfth-century Jerusalem and the Knights Hospitaller. During a hands-on workshop, boys examined coins from Jerusalem, Antioch, Edessa and Tripoli, gaining a tangible sense of the Crusader States they have been analysing in lessons. The visit also included time in the atmospheric Norman crypt, built on the site of a medieval priory, offering powerful context for their A Level paper on The Crusades and the Crusader States, 1095–1192.

In the afternoon, students shifted their focus from medieval to modern history with a visit to the Churchill War Rooms. Having recently studied Churchill’s life in detail, the group found it particularly fascinating to walk through the map rooms, offices and living quarters where Churchill and his staff worked tirelessly during the Second World War. The preserved underground complex offered valuable insight into Churchill’s leadership and the wartime pressures that shaped his decision-making.

The day provided an enriching and memorable opportunity for students to deepen their historical understanding by engaging directly with the sites, spaces and sources that bring their curriculum to life.