Castle Acre Priory (English Heritage)

Castle Acre
Swaffham
Norfolk
PE32 2XD
England

Website

Telephone

01760 755394

All information is supplied by the venues or providers themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.
An exterior view of Castle Acre Priory

One of the largest and best preserved monastic sites in England, the foundation of Castle Acre Priory in about 1090 sprang directly from a visit by William de Warenne II and his wife Gundrada to the great French monastery of Cluny. So impressed were they by its beauty and holiness that they vowed to introduce the Cluniac order of monks to England.

There is much more to see at the priory, including the substantial remains of many of the buildings round the cloister. The recreated herb garden next to the visitor centre grows herbs which the monks would have used for medicinal, culinary and decorative purposes.

Venue Type:

Castle or defences, Garden, parklands or rural site, Sacred space

 Opening hours

1-31 Oct daily 10am-4pm, 1 Nov-31 Mar Sat-Sun 10am-4pm, Closed 24-26 Dec & 1 Jan

 Admission charges

5.60/5.00/3.40/14.60

Discounts

  • English Heritage

Castle Acre
Swaffham
Norfolk
PE32 2XD
England

Website

Telephone

01760 755394

All information is supplied by the venues or providers themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.
Resources listed here may include websites, bookable tours and workshops, books, loan boxes and more. You may need to scroll down or click on headers to see them all.
 Face to face resources

After the Monks Discovery Visit

Join the Duke of Norfolk as he inspects his manor of Castle Acre and discover the impact of the Dissolution of the Monasteries on the lives of ordinary people in Tudor England. A mixture of tours and hands-on activities at this beautiful site.
Duration: 1 1/2 hours
Key Stage: 2 History

How to obtain

Call 01223 582732 to arrange a 1 1/2 hour session on weekdays during term time. Price £75 per group of up to 30 pupils. Visit http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.19492 for more information.

Crafty Castle Acre Discovery Visit

Use this beautiful site to inspire creativity, collect ideas for your own design and make your own decorative tile. Interactive and practical sessions will increase understanding of the skills of medieval craftsmen and the significance of the decorations they created.
Duration: 1 1/2 hours
Key Stage: 1, 2, Art and Design, History

How to obtain

Call 01223 582732 to arrange a 1 1/2 hour workshop on Monday, Thursday or Friday. Price £75 per group of up to 30 pupils. Visit http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.19492 for more information.

Medieval Realms Discovery Visit

Once a major settlement with a castle and priory, today Castle Acre is a picturesque village and an ideal base for exploring a medieval settlement and its characters through storytelling. Sessions can be adapted for different age groups, providing a sound basis for local study at KS2 or for study of political power from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.
Duration: 1 1/2 hours
Key Stage: 1, 2, 3, History

How to obtain

Call 01223 582732 to arrange a 1 1/2 hour storytelling session. Please allow enough time to explore the castle and village before or after. Price £75 per group of up to 30 pupils. Visit http://www.english-heritage.org.uk/server/show/nav.19492 for more information.

Castle Acre
Swaffham
Norfolk
PE32 2XD
England

Website

Telephone

01760 755394

All information is supplied by the venues or providers themselves and every effort is made to ensure it is correct. Please remember to double check opening hours with the venue concerned before making a special visit.

Related teaching activities

Key stage 2 geography, 1-2 lessons

Knowledge and understanding of places

Castle Acre Priory was once a medieval settlement with a castle and a priory. Make a list of the main features of the medieval settlement and compare them with a modern town or city.

Key stage 2 History, 1 lesson

Historical enquiry

What is the purpose of a cloister in a sacred building such as Castle Acre Priory?

Key stage 2 science, Small project

Sc2 Life processes and living things

Design a wildlife corridor to include an herb garden like the one at Castle Acre Priory, which can be constructed in your school grounds.

Key stage 3 art and design, 1 lesson

2.2 Understand and evaluate

Why were monastic sites decorated in the way they were? Using Castle Acre Priory as an example, discuss in groups some of the main internal and external decorative features of this type of architecture and explore reasons for their design and decoration.

Key stage 3 ICT, 1-2 lessons

2.2 Developing ideas

Look at the decorations on the stonework and the tiles of Castle Acre Priory. Use the patterns and shapes to draw your own design using software.