Students took in 11 centuries of British history yesterday as they travelled northwards to Warwick Castle. First built as a motte-and-bailey fort by William the Conqueror in 1068, the castle came into its own in the mid-13th century, when the stone castle was constructed for the seventh Earl of Warwick. Since then, the castle has borne witness to intrigue and strife, often of the violent variety― Piers Gaveston, the lover of King Edward II, was brought to Warwick for execution in 1312; in the following century, it was another Earl of Warwick who supervised the trial and execution of Joan of Arc at Rouen; and in 1478, the Duke of Clarence, at that time the master of the Warwick estate, was put to death for plotting against his brother, King Edward IV.

Less dramatic details of the castle’s history include its landscaping by legendary English landscape architect Capability Brown in 1750, and its hosting of England’s top three Queens: Elizabeths I and II, and the formidable Victoria.

Students made the most of their time at the castle, walking along the ramparts, watching a trebuchet demonstration, and getting lost in time in the Horrible Histories maze, where they contended with Stormin’ Normans, Vicious Vikings, and all manner of horrors from the Measly Middle Ages, to reach the centre.

Back in the 21st century (or thereabouts) at LMH, students enjoyed an evening of creativity, decorating masks for their Carnivale in St Peter’s College this evening.