The Golden Hinde

What will students see and do?

Located along the Thames bankside near London Bridge, The Golden Hinde offers a variety of educational programmes for primary and secondary school students.

At The Golden Hinde, students will gain the opportunity to become immersed in the world of Elizabethan corsairs. Walking through each deck of the ship will allow pupils of all ages to experience the cramped, and often dangerous conditions of the sailors who lived on board.

Each educational workshop, from the one-hour standard tours to the overnight living history programmes, incorporates physical sensory experiences. Students will have the chance to handle weapons and navigational equipment, load cannons, and turn the capstan to raise the ship’s anchors. 

Tours and workshops aboard The Golden Hinde are tailored to the national curriculum for each key stage, targeting areas of learning that are specified for individual age groups. The learning facilitators that guide school tours and workshops are trained in lesson delivery, engaging students in discussion throughout the programme.

To contextualise the voyage around the globe, students will take part in an interactive retelling of the circumnavigation. At the end of each programme, students will review the material learned throughout their visit, and consider the implications of the voyage on the wider history of Tudor England, and its maritime ventures.

How does the trip link to the curriculum?

Following the statutory framework for early years providers, the EYFS Ship Ahoy! tour targets the physical development of learners, using sensory experiences on board. Communication and language skills are developed through group discussions, and the tour endeavours to provide early learners with a greater understanding of the world.

Key Stage 1 students are encouraged to gain an understanding of differences in society and culture across time. The KS1 Pirates tour compares and contrasts the idea of pirates seen in the media with Tudor sailors. This is demonstrated through an interactive, humorous dress up game on board.

The national curriculum holds a statutory requirement to extend Key Stage 2 pupils’ chronological knowledge of British history beyond 1066. The KS2 Voyage of The Golden Hinde tour expands upon this knowledge by investigating the key players that were involved in the circumnavigation. Students can assume the role of different characters on board the vessel, using masks and props to engage with the history of the voyage.

The KS3/4 Drake’s Circumnavigation tour factors in the assessment objectives of the AQA GCSE specification to evaluate change, continuity, and causation leading up to and following the voyage. Students studying the Spanish Armada in 1588 are given the opportunity to evaluate the differences between the English and Spanish forces, using The Golden Hinde as a reference for the race-built galleons used during the battles.

The KS3/4 The Spanish Armada utilises a custom Armada map and figurines, allowing students to visualise each battle involved in the conflict.

Subjects covered

Details of risk assessment

The Golden Hinde supplies a detailed risk assessment to all visiting school groups. The Education Department can be contacted to arrange an in-person risk assessment by teachers.

The ship is not currently accessible for wheelchair users or visitors with mobility impairments. It is notable that there are low ceilings on board.

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