Medieval Kingdom · Guided tour

A medieval market town

Trade, crafts, food, learning and defense.

Stops: 8
Time: 20 to 30 minutes
Grades: 3-9

**Your guide: Young mapmaker** Draws maps of the townI am learning to draw maps, so I know every street of this town. Come with me through the gate. On market day the whole town is busy, and every building has a job to do.

Stop 1
Gatehouse
Everyone comes in through the gatehouse. Guards watch the road, carts pay a toll, and at night the gates are shut and the portcullis comes down.
Why would a town want to know who comes in and out?
Read the full page about the gatehouse · Find it on the map
Stop 2
Market hall
Today is market day. Farmers sell eggs, cheese and grain, and officials check that every weight and measure is honest.
Why does a market need rules?
Read the full page about the market hall · Find it on the map
Stop 3
Guild hall
Each trade has its own guild. An apprentice learns for years, then works as a journeyman, and may one day become a master.
What skill would you like to master, and how long might it take?
Read the full page about the guild hall · Find it on the map
Stop 4
Blacksmith
Listen for the hammer. The smith heats iron until it glows and shapes it into nails, tools and horseshoes for the whole town.
Which iron things would a town need most?
Read the full page about the blacksmith · Find it on the map
Stop 5
Windmill
Outside the walls, the windmill's sails turn heavy millstones that grind grain into flour for the bakers.
What other work could wind or water power do?
Read the full page about the windmill · Find it on the map
Stop 6
Abbey
At the abbey, monks and nuns pray, farm, teach, look after the sick and give food to the poor.
Which jobs of the abbey are done by other places in your town today?
Read the full page about the abbey · Find it on the map
Stop 7
Scriptorium
Here books are copied by hand on parchment, letter by letter. One book can take months, so books are rare and precious.
How did printing change who could own a book?
Read the full page about the scriptorium · Find it on the map
Stop 8
Royal castle
Last, the castle: home of the lord, with thick walls, round towers and a strong gate. From here the lord rules the land around the town.
How is a castle like a home, and how is it like a fort?
Read the full page about the royal castle · Find it on the map