What are they and what do they involve?
Religious buildings are venues where members of the religion can go to socialise and worship, and while they can often be historic buildings, they can also be extremely modern. As each venue is dedicated towards practicing a specific religion the exact details will vary greatly, but you are guaranteed both a memorable and educational experience!
What are the benefits?
Religion is such a common part of modern life that it’s important to educate students in all aspects of it; a visit to a religious building to see faith in action can be a great alternative way of learning to accompany their classroom studies and can help encourage acceptance of all cultures!
What students is it suitable for?
Religious buildings are generally suitable for all ages! If you are unsure, make sure to check with the specific venue to see what they advise.
Costs?
Many religious buildings are free to enter, but some larger venues that attract tourists may have a small entry fee.
Safety Implications?
It’s important to make sure students respect any customs and that they do not disturb any quiet areas – younger children will need to be supervised carefully.
Substantial remains of an early Tudor friary church of Franciscan 'grey friars'.
The Grey Friars, or Franciscans, were followers of St Francis of Assisi and founded many religious houses across Europe.
They earned their name from the grey habits that were worn as a symbol of their vow of poverty.
Thornton Abbey's enormous and ornate fortified gatehouse is the largest and amongst the finest in England. This North Lincolnshire tourist attraction is the ideal way to spend a day.
Mount Saint Bernard Abbey is situated in Charnwood Forest, Leicestershire. An area of particular natural beauty in the very heart of England. It is home to an order of Cistercian Monks of the Strict Observance (Trappists).
This pinnacled gatehouse, elaborately decorated in East Anglian 'flushwork', is the sole survivor of the wealthy Benedictine abbey of St John. It was built c.1400 to strengthen the abbey's defences following the Peasants' Revolt. Later part of the mansion of the Royalist Lucas family, the gatehouse was bombarded and stormed by Parliamentarian soldiers during the Civil War siege.
A modest but complete and attractive 14th century chantry chapel, perhaps originally a hospital.
The modest flint and cobble chapel retains some attractive medieval features and, despite uncertainties over its origin, the rarity of medieval hospitals lends added interest.
Holy Trinity, Stratford, on the banks of the River Avon, is probably England's most visited Parish Church. As well as being a thriving Parish church, it receives many thousands of visitors each year due to the fact that William Shakespeare was baptised here, worshipped here, and is buried in the chancel.
Easby Abbey is one of the most picturesque monastic sites in Yorkshire. It is also one of the best-preserved examples in the British Isles of a monastery belonging to the Premonstratensian order, founded in France by St Norbert in 1120.
The extensive remains of one of the wealthiest and most powerful Benedictine monasteries in England, shrine of St Edmund.
They include the complete 14th century Great Gate and Norman Tower, and the impressive ruins and altered west front of the immense church.
The impressive remains of an abbey founded by Stephen, later King of England, including much of the east end and west tower of the church, the ornately decorated chapter house and the cloister buildings.
Byland Abbey is the perfect place to stop on a family day out, or if you’re walking or cycling in the North York Moors National Park.
Once one of the greatest monasteries in England, Byland Abbey inspired the design of church buildings throughout the North.
The most complete surviving Cistercian monastery in southern England, with almost all the walls of its 13th-century church still standing, along with many monastic buildings. After the Dissolution, the buildings were converted into the mansion house of Sir William Paulet.
The best-preserved remains of a Cistercian abbey west cloister range in England, dating mainly from around 1170. Incorporated into part of a 17th century and later mansion, set in Rufford Country Park.
The ruins of a 13th century Premonstratensian abbey, later converted into a Tudor mansion. The church was rebuilt as a grand turreted gatehouse. Information panels tell the story of the monastery and its conversion into a mansion.
The charming ruins of a small monastery of Premonstratensian 'white canons', picturesquely set above a bend in the River Tees near Barnard Castle.
Remains include much of the 13th century church and a range of living quarters, with traces of their ingenious toilet drainage system.
Medieval hospital, Tudor ammunition store and church for the forces since the 1580s, the Royal Garrison Church has stood in Portsmouth for nearly 800 years.
Royal Garrison Church was constructed about 1212 as part of a hospital complex. Although the nave was badly damaged in a 1941 fire-bomb raid on Portsmouth, the chancel remains roofed and furnished.
The ruined church of an Augustinian abbey, reduced in size after fire and plague.
Creake Abbey probably had its origins in 1206 when Sir Robert and Lady Alice de Nerford established the small chapel of St Mary of the Meadows at Lingerescroft, bordering the tiny River Burn.
A tall medieval octagonal tower, allegedly a lighthouse, built here in 1328 as penance for stealing church property from a wrecked ship. Affectionately known as the Pepperpot, it stands on one of the highest parts of the Isle of Wight. It is part of the Tennyson Heritage Coast, a series of linked cliff-top monuments. A later lighthouse can be seen nearby.
Grey Friar’s Chapel is the 13-15th century tower of Kings Lynn’s Franciscan friary. It is one of only three surviving Franciscan monastery towers in England and is considered to be the finest.
Set on a headland high over the popular seaside town, Whitby Abbey is the perfect choice for a great value day trip in Yorkshire. It's easy to see how Bram Stoker was inspired by its gothic splendour when writing Dracula. This is one of the most atmospheric visitor attractions on the Yorkshire coast.
One of the most complete surviving friaries of Dominican 'black friars' in England, later converted into a Tudor house and cloth factory. Notable features include the church and the fine scissor-braced dormitory roof.
Beautifully placed between the city of York and the town of Malton , the riverside ruins of Kirkham Priory are set in the beautiful Derwent valley near the Yorkshire Wolds.
At this peaceful tourist attraction, learn all about the secret visit of Winston Churchill during World War II and unlock the connection between Helmsley Castle and the priory.
This picturesque and rustic stone chapel is thought to have been the chantry for Shap Abbey originally. It was built around the sixteenth-century and has been used as a cottage and meeting house during its long history.
The key to open the chapel door is hanging by the front door of the house opposite.
A burial ground for London's Nonconformists from 1665 onwards, Bunhill Fields is the last resting place of Pilgrim's Progress author John Bunyan (d. 1688) and Quakers founder George Fox (d. 1691). Robinson Crusoe author Daniel Defoe (d. 1731), hymnwriter Isaac Watts (d. 1748) and poet and painter William Blake (d.1827) are also buried here.
Part of a monastic building, perhaps the abbot's lodging, of Benedictine Abbotsbury Abbey. St Catherine's Chapel is within half a mile.
St Catherine's Chapel
Set high on a hilltop overlooking Abbotsbury Abbey, this sturdily buttressed and barrel-vaulted 14th-century chapel was built by the monks as a place of pilgrimage and retreat.
The Cathedral Church of SS. Peter and Paul is the Roman Catholic cathedral in the Clifton area of Bristol.
The Bushcraft Company offer residential school trips with a difference, taking students into the wild and giving them real back-to-nature experiences they will never forget.
A 15-year-old boy fell 60ft over the edge of a cliff whilst on a geography school trip, miraculously only suffering minor injuries.