We had a great time at Raby Castle today finding out what life was like for all the different people who lived and worked in the castle. We were met as we got off the bus by our tour guides, who took us up to the castle along the main drive. We all saw the moat, and we found out about the disgusting things that used to be thrown in to keep people from attacking. After we went through the gates, looking up at the ‘murder holes’ and avoiding the spikey portcullis, we saw the bell tower that was used to warn people of any invaders. Even after we had passed the first wall we saw that there was another wall that was up to 20ft thick!
Once in the courtyard, we saw the clock and the sundial, then we went into the entrance hall. This was the oldest part of the castle, built almost 700 years ago. We saw a big wall of antique guns, a grand carriage, and right by the fireplace there was an old fox curled up on the sofa. We then moved into the octagon room, which was so grand that it had golden silk everywhere, even on the walls! Other rooms we saw included some bedrooms; there was a rather plain one for the head servant, and a much bigger, opulent room for any visiting guests. Next we moved through to the main hall, where we found out about a plot hatched by the family that built this castle to take over the country. The hall itself was huge and again filled with elegant furniture. We also saw guardrooms, the kitchens, and a dining room that was filled with portraits. There was so much to see and every room had its own story.
After our tour of the castle we had our lunch outside on some picnic tables. It was such a glorious day that we were lucky to find some shade. We split into groups and had a tour of the coach house, where we saw some different carts and carriages from throughout history. They even let us use the old fire engine pump. We were allowed into some other rooms in the coach house, which are usually locked up, and discovered the uses for a lot of strange equipment, including some hats for horses, and a boot remover.
While each group was in the coach house, the rest of us explored through the gardens; we saw a lot of different plants and flowers, and picked some raspberries. They were so sour! Finally we went into the forest adventure playground, where we all had a chance to fly down the zip line, and climb on the adventure trail. With such an exciting day behind us we were all exhausted when the bus came, and a lot of us fell fast asleep on the way back to school.