From Vienna we boarded a train to what was, after 1867, the second city of the Hapsburg Empire: Budapest. After a fascinating four days, we flew back from hot and sunny Budapest to cold and rainy London, all thoroughly tired but having learned a huge amount about these two intriguing and interconnected cities.’ Harry Taylor, Year 13 Towards the end of the summer holidays, boys in the Remove who intend to read History at university may join the department’s Reading Party. Taking place in and around London – and often held in conjunction with the JAGS History department – the week provides a superb opportunity for historical discussion ahead of the hurly-burly of the A2 academic year. Mr Flower, Head of History said: ‘The week began with a trip to Portsmouth dockyard to see historic vessels of the Royal Navy, including the spectacular new Mary Rose exhibition. A walking tour of the main Fire and Plague sights was the highlight of the second day and was appropriately timed to fit with the then forthcoming anniversary of the Great Fire. Whilst in London we also found time to visit Banqueting House, Westminster Abbey (where we received an excellent tour of several unseen parts of the Abbey from one of the canons) and Leighton House. Our final day saw a sun-drenched sojourn into Kent, visiting the highly atmospheric Ightham Mote followed by Penshurst Place, a wonderfully maintained Tudor manor, which provided the set for much of the Wolf Hall TV series. Throughout the week all of the boys completed lots of reading and every evening was given to discussion of what we had seen.’
Every year, boys in the Upper School have the opportunity to visit one of the great cities of Europe. Recently these have included: Berlin, Prague, Budapest, Vienna, Moscow and St Petersburg. ‘Guided expertly, as ever, by Mr Smith, our walking tour of the medieval quarter of Vienna saw us examining all manner of architectural styles for clues about the city’s past. Fortified by our evening repast of schnitzel (what else?), we headed back into the city to see it illuminated by night and wove our way through the maze of edifices constituting the old Habsburg Palace.
Upper School History trip to Vienna and Budapest 2016.
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