The design of Castle Acre Priory
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how and why Castle Acre Priory was constructed as it was.
Key learning points
- Castle Acre Priory was built in the Romanesque style, with Gothic elements.
- Castle Acre Priory was designed to meet the needs of a community of monks.
Keywords
Romanesque - the style of building that was fashionable in Western Europe which recalled the power of the Roman Empire
Cloister - a covered walkway enclosing a large open courtyard, found in a religious building
Dormitory - a large room designed for many people to sleep in
Refectory - a room used for communal meals
Common misconception
Because the priory is so large, it must have been home to many hundreds of monks.
In fact, only 20 to 30 monks lived at Castle Acre Priory at any one time, and the original number when the priory was first being built was only around 6.
Teacher tip
Several well-researched video tours of the site are available online.
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Archbishop Lanfranc issued instructions and guidance on how monks should carry out their duties in which document?
Q2.Lanfranc wanted English monasteries to more strictly follow the rule of which religious order?
Q3.Monks from Abbey objected to Lanfranc's rewording of the liturgy.
Q4.The number of Benedictine monasteries in England increased from in 1066 to 250 by 1135.
Q5.The Normans changed the leaders of from Anglo-Saxon to Norman abbots.
Q6.By 1086, how many Anglo-Saxon abbots remained in England?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Match the words with their correct definitions.
Q2.Castle Acre Priory was built in the Romanesque style, with elements.
Q3.What type of patterns were added above doorways and arches to add to their decoration?
Q4.To keep walls strong but still looking Romanesque, what architectural feature did many Norman buildings feature?
Q5.Complete the sentence: Castle Acre Priory had semi-circular spaces called at the eastern end to make space for more altars for the monks who had qualified as priests to say masses.
Q6.Which buildings were located slightly apart from the main buildings at Castle Acre Priory?
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: The design of Castle Acre Priory, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 10 history lesson on: The design of Castle Acre Priory, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 4 history lessons from the Castle Acre Priory unit, dive into the full secondary history curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.