The British Museum has announced a programme of workshops for schools visiting its major exhibition on Stonehenge which will see over 430 objects brought together in a special spectacle on the history of the ancient monument.
The museum will be running five exclusive mornings for schools where the exhibition is reserved for learning groups (and members) and closed to the general public, presenting an ideal opportunity for children to explore and delve into the exhibition. The workshops start at 10am, run for two hours and are suitable for Key Stages 2 to 5. They are running on the following dates:
- Wednesday 9th March 2022.
- Tuesday 22nd March 2022.
- Tuesday 17th May 2022.
- Wednesday 22nd June 2022.
- Monday 27th June 2022.
There will also be a Teachers’ Private View of the exhibition on 3rd March from 6-8pm, during which there will be the opportunity to join a curator’s talk.
Resources for schools
The museum has said it is producing resources for schools which will consist of an Image Bank, as well as a Teachers’ Guide. The Image Bank will highlight objects, as well as showcase some of the themes of the exhibition. The Teachers’ Guide will provide information about the themes of the exhibition, background and content as well as explain the layout and visiting guide with ideas for before, during and after activities.
About the exhibition
The World of Stonehenge will feature more than 430 objects and will be the UK’s first ever major exhibition on the story of Stonehenge.
Nearly two-thirds of the objects going on display will be loans, with objects coming from 35 lenders across the UK, the Republic of Ireland, France, Italy, Germany, Denmark and Switzerland.
The exhibition is said to set Stonehenge in the context of one of the most remarkable eras on the islands of Britain and Ireland which saw huge social and technological revolutions, as well as fundamental changes in people’s relationships with the sky, the land and one another.
At the heart of the exhibition will be the “sensational loan” of a 4,000-year-old Bronze Age timber circle called Stonehenge of the Sea, dubbed Seahenge, due to its similarity to Wiltshire’s Stonehenge.
It is described as an extremely rare surviving example of a timber monument that emerged in 1998 from the sands of a Norfolk beach. Seahenge comes to the British Museum from the Norfolk Museums Service, where it is partially displayed at the Lynn Museum in King’s Lynn and is the first time it has gone on loan.
Alongside the international loans will be important objects unearthed in the Stonehenge landscape, many of which are in the collections of neighbouring museums.
The World of Stonehenge will run at the British Museum between 17th February - 17th July 2022. The school workshop sessions are free but booking is essential. To book call 020 7323 8181 and for information about school group bookings visit www.britishmuseum.org/stonehenge.
