School trips on The Matthew
Hello,
Our Captain and crew have been busy all through the winter preparing The Matthew for our upcoming sailing season and now it’s almost upon us, so calling all teachers – now’s the time to get booking your 2023 school trip on The Matthew!
We always love to welcome our younger visitors aboard and share in their excitement of being on board the ship, maybe for the first time.
We’ve been taking bookings for a few weeks now and sessions are filling up fast, so do get in touch soon to grab your preferred session…
The ship
The Matthew of Bristol is a replica 15th-century caravel ship built here in Bristol in the mid-1990s to celebrate the 500th anniversary of John Cabot’s 1497 voyage of exploration. This voyage saw Cabot and his crew make landfall in what would become known as the Americas.
The modern Matthew is unique as the only (as far as we know!) working medieval replica ship of its kind in the world and makes for an exciting and informative location for a school trip, bringing Tudor Bristol to life for visitors of all ages.
Located in the heart of central Bristol, The Matthew is the ideal place to start your exploration of Bristol's historic harbourside.
Our trips
We offer one-hour sessions for Key Stages 1 and 2, linking to the Tudor and Explorer themes in the national curriculum, as well as our local Bristol history, so whether you are focusing on John Cabot, the Tudors, pirates, the history of navigation and transatlantic voyages, or on local maritime history, we have something suitable for everyone!
And if our trips don't exactly match your needs, we can also adapt your session to work with your particular requirements.
Our volunteer guides and crew are very knowledgeable and have years of experience in leading school tours. We cater for all – from local and regional schools to groups with special needs to international schools.
Booking information
School trips are available during term time throughout our sailing season (April to October) – advance bookings only.
Sessions are available from Tuesday to Friday, starting at 10:45am, 11:45am, 12:45pm and 1:45pm.
Each hourly session costs £250 and includes a trip around the harbour plus a talk from our volunteer guides.
We can take up to 40 passengers on a trip – this number must include at least 1 supervising adult for every 5-6 students on all school trips.
Free resources!
You'll find lots of resources available on our website that you may find useful before or after your trip, or simply for general use in the classroom.
To make it easier for you to find what you need, we've collated a Resources & Activities page on our website, featuring:
A free visitor information guide and free factsheets about the different areas and features of the ship, and about life on board for the crew in 1497 and on the 1997 anniversary voyage to Canada, for you to download and keep.
The Matthew 525 Project – our brand new cross-curricular learning resource exploring the history and stories associated with both the modern and original Matthew ships and Cabot’s voyage of exploration.
Photos of the ship to help you visualize your trip if you've not visited us before!
Links to information about the history of The Matthew and about John Cabot.
Free downloadable worksheets to use before and after your trip:
Spot The Hazards – this illustration is designed to be used before your trip to help the children understand how to behave safely and what could be dangerous whilst they are on board The Matthew.
A short quiz about the ship and its history – if you’ve joined us on one of our school trips or looked through our factsheets, you should have no problem answering the questions!
Answer sheets for both worksheets are also available to download.
Creative activities for children, such as building a model ship, colouring sheets and learning sea shanties.
A link to our YouTube channel for films about The Matthew.
Get in touch
If you'd like to find out more about our school trips or you'd like to book a session for your class, please complete our online School Trip Enquiry Form or contact Sarah at The Matthew office.
The Matthew team looks forward to welcoming you and your class aboard soon!
