18th November 19
On Thursday 21 November, the Year 2 girls had an inspirational trip to St Paul’s Cathedral in London. As part of their Topic unit ‘Fire! Fire!’ the girls have been learning about The Great Fire of London in 1666, and they could not wait to visit London to learn all about this spectacular building.
Upon arrival, the girls were taken to the crypt, where they were amazed to learn that the current building is the fifth version to have been built. They enjoyed looking at pictures of the previous structures and showed fantastic knowledge about how it has changed over time, and why the current building is so strong. They soon headed up to the main cathedral floor, where they enjoyed dressing up and acting out the chain of events that occurred during the fire. There was fantastic collaboration to be seen when the girls were asked to act as a team when collecting water from the Thames (in a leather bucket!). They thoroughly enjoyed speedily passing the buckets between each other and splashing out the imaginary fire! As they continued their tour around the cathedral floor, the girls were very excited to be allowed to enter a particularly special area – the quire – where they were able to lay on the floor and admire the stunning mosaics found in the ceiling.
After a quick lunch break to refuel, the girls were keen to begin the steady climb to the dome – a mere 528 (steep) steps! All of the adults were hugely impressed with the girls’ perseverance as the climb grew more and more challenging. It was truly wonderful to witness them encouraging each other to keep going, even when their legs were feeling tired. When they reached the Stone Gallery, they were all incredibly excited to look out over London and begin to spot many famous landmarks. However, many girls wanted to complete the final challenge – the metal, spiral stairs to the very top! When they reached the final viewing point, they were delighted to see the breathtaking view. Jessica even said, “The climb was definitely worth it – look at that view! It’s amazing!” After a few photo opportunities, they began their descent back down the hundreds of steps to reach the cathedral floor once more.
After all of that excitement, one final treat was experienced on the way out of the cathedral, as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra was rehearsing for a concert that was due to take place that evening. Listening to such talented musicians in one of our country’s most stunning buildings really was a magical moment.
The girls made us very proud with their impeccable behaviour and we know that it was an experience they will remember for many years to come!
Huge thanks goes to the parents and teachers who accompanied the girls on the trip.
