Chirk Castle. Estate Explorers. There s so much more to see at Chirk beyond the castle walls. Use this guide to become an Estate Explorer!

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1 Chirk Castle Estate Explorers There s so much more to see at Chirk beyond the castle walls. Use this guide to become an Estate Explorer! This map will help you find your way around. Map Key: - Kitchen garden (activities on page 2 and 3) - Grass slope in front of the castle (activity on page 4) to - Discovery trail (page 6 and 7)

2 Kitchen Garden Number on the map Feeding the castle What was a kitchen garden for? All the food eaten at the castle had to come from near by. Animals such as sheep and pigs would be kept for meat. Cows provided dairy products and chickens provided eggs. All the vegetables and fruit would be grown nearby in a kitchen garden like this one. The Lords and nobles ate well. Most meals contained meat and a variety of vegetables. The servants and peasants had a much simpler diet. bread, porridge and pottage( vegetable stew) washed down by beer. Meat was only eaten on special occasions such as Christmas. Vegetables were not thought to be healthy in the Middle Ages. The root vegetables were considered only fit for the common folk and were not eaten by the wealthy. Can you find the ingredients for pottage? Onion Parsnips Leeks Cabbage Herbs parsley, rosemary and thyme Carrots Turnips Do you recognise any of the vegetables or fruit growing in the garden? Draw them on the plate

3 Herbs Sage Aromatic silver-grey leaves about 8cm long and 1.2cm wide Can you find these herbs in the kitchen garden or the formal garden? Match the description of the herb to it s picture Used for: coughs, breathing problems. Basil Bright green foliage with spicy clove-like aroma Chives Long thin hollow leaves with clumps of mauve flowers Used for: almost anything! Especially preventing the plague, chest problems, dressing wounds, eye problems, and as a painkiller. Was used to cure diseases of the brain, heart, lungs, kidneys and bladder Dried leaves were used to cure headaches and colds Rosemary Blue-purple flowers and long narrow leaves, dark green on top and silver underneath Used for: sprains, fractures, paralysis, skin problems. Balm (lemon balm) Strong lemon scent with crinkly leaves, shaped like mint leaves Can be made into a tea which is used to bring down high temperatures Also used as a tonic for the stomach and to help digestion.

4 Attacking the castle Number on the map Foot soldiers must be fit to stage an attack on the castle. Start at the bottom of the grassy slope in front of the castle. 1. Take your pulse 2. Run up to the top of the hill whilst your partner times you 3. Take your pulse at the top of the hill. 4. Record your results in the table below How to check your pulse Gently place 2 fingers of your other hand on the artery in your wrist or neck. Do not use your thumb, because it has its own pulse that you may feel. Count the beats for 30 seconds, and then double the result to get the number of beats per minute Name Pulse at start of the attack Pulse at end of attack Time of 1st attack Time of 2nd attack

5 Trees Go into the woodland and find a tree Match the creatures to the part of the tree they live in Collect leaves to decorate your tree Do a bark rubbing of your tree onto the trunk Measure the age of your tree How many hugs does it take to go round the trunk of your tree? All you have to do is measure 1.5m up the tree and then measure the circumference. Divide the circumference by Pi (3.141) and the final number is the age of the tree How old is your tree? Measure the height of your tree Start to walk away from the tree, every few steps take a look back through your legs. Stop when the entire tree is within your view. Measure the distance from your feet back to the base of the tree the distance is the height of the tree! How tall is your tree?

6 Discovery trail Start Use the map on the front cover to find your way around the estate Numbers on the map to Start at Home Farm Can you spot the octagonal dovecote is on your right? It was built in the 18th century. What do you think lived here? Take the path to heading off right into the trees, walk down the path and through the gate into the field beyond Can you spot the remains of Offa s Dyke? It was a massive defensive earthwork that was constructed around 785 by King Offa of Mercia separating what are now England and Wales. Originally it measured 8m from the bottom of the ditch to the top of the bank. What do you think Offa s Dyke was for? Offa s Dyke Go back to the main path, walk up the hill towards the castle and then take the path on your right with the sign that says woodland walk Find the bird hide and take a few minutes to stop and see if you can see any birds. Try and be as quiet as possible so you don t scare them away. Write the types of birds that you saw here:

7 Once you get out from under the cover of the trees, keep your eyes peeled for buzzards. They are the most common British bird of prey but 150 years ago they were very rare. You might see them soaring overhead. What do you think they might be looking for? Make your way down the path to the far end of the woodland to point number 6 on the map Can you spot the ancient sweet chestnut? These trees were introduced to Britain 2000 years ago by the romans who used the nuts to make porridge! This tree probably dates from the time of Henry VIII. If the tree was planted in 1530, how old is it? Continue round the path into Deershed wood to point number 7 on the map This plinth used to support Hercules, one of a pair of statues made in the 1720s to stand at the main gates. He was moved Into the woods 50 years later and in 1987 he was moved by helicopter to the Lime Avenue in the gardens. The other statue, Mars has never been found. What do you think he might have looked like? Draw him standing on his plinth. You have reached the furthest point on the map! Either continue on the path to do a circular walk or turn and walk back the way you came. End

8 Goldfinch Chaffinch Blue t Robin Pied wagtail Blackbird Starling Buzzard Chirk Castle Spotter Sheet Magpie Pheasant Squirrel White Park Ca le Rabbit Be careful as the wild ponies may bite! Welsh Black Mountain Sheep Wild Ponies (Stormy and Sandy)