The SEJ joined a tour at historic Doune Castle, near Stirling, led by P7 pupils from Doune Primary School. The school works with Historic Scotland and Illuminate UK to train pupils to lead interactive tours as part of the Junior Tour Guide programme.
Doune Castle is a striking medieval stronghold, sitting in woodland around 8 miles from Stirling. Originally built in the 13th century, it was rebuilt following the Scottish wars of independence. Very well preserved, it has served as a filming location for a wide range of well-known films such as Ivanhoe with Robert Taylor and Elizabeth Taylor, and Monty Python and the Holy Grail. More recently, it has been featured in several prominent television productions – including Game of Thrones and Outlander.
These recent TV appearances have increased the castle’s fame, and continue to attract visitors from across the globe, keen to see ‘Winterfell’ and ‘Castle Leoch’ in real life. Game of Thrones and Outlander tours are regular occurrences, but the castle is quiet when we arrive in the grounds to await the arrival of our P7 tour-guides from Doune Primary School.
Our tour guides soon arrive, having walked the short distance from school in their impressive period costumes. They are accompanied by Headteacher Andrew Clark, together with Karen from Illuminate UK, who provide the Junior Tour Guide training programme on behalf of Historic Environment Scotland.
While the tour guides prepare themselves for their performance, Andrew and Karen explain the history of the Junior Tour Guide programme and the partnership with Doune Primary. For around 20 years, young people from Doune Primary have learned the history and performance skills required to allow them to serve as Junior Tour Guides.
Historic Environment Scotland runs the programme at other HES properties across Scotland, in partnership with local schools, including at Linlithgow Palace and Craigmillar Castle. The programme aims to boost pupils’ confidence, communication, team-working and performance skills, and knowledge of local history while offering a wide variety of roles, suitable for all young people.
The crossovers with the four capacities of CfE are clear, with the opportunity to develop and enhance a range of skills across a range of curricular areas including arts, drama and history.
Once the young performers have undergone their training, they offer guided tours – free of charge – to visiting schools from across the country. Andrew explains that tours inevitably fell off following the pandemic and lockdown periods, but that Doune Primary School are keen to attract more schools to take up the offer of a free, fun and educational day out at Doune Castle.
In addition to the free tour, a bus subsidy is available to support schools wishing to visit, covering up to 75% of the transport cost.
Our young guides are now ready to begin the tour and, for the next 45 minutes, we are transported back in time to the 14th Century when Robert, Duke of Albany, his wife, the Duchess Muriella, and their household were resident in the castle.
Through Robert, Muriella and the other characters, we learn about how the castle was constructed, how it was defended, and what it was like to live and to work there. We hear about the infamous pit prison in the basement, where the Duke threatens to have us lowered if we do not behave during the tour.
The tour is designed to be as engaging as possible, with ample opportunity for questions and answers, as well as some audience interaction in games and dancing, which all the pupils visiting the castle with us today enjoy as we tour the castle kitchen, the Duke’s hall and the castle’s Grand Hall.
All too soon, our tour is approaching its end, and we emerge back into the sunshine and the young guides conclude their performance. Before we are allowed to leave, we each have to disclose one thing that we learned on the tour with the Duke. Perhaps the pit prison awaits for those who fail this test…thankfully, I had been paying attention, share my fact about the Main Hall’s impressive hammer beam ceiling, which is truly a sight to behold, and am then released to return to our own time.
Before I leave, I have the chance to talk to some of the young people, now out of character, and ask them for their thoughts on the Junior Tour Guide experience. Their enthusiasm shines through, just as it did in their performance, as they explain all that went into the programme and what they have learned from the experience.
They are keen to sell the tour experience to potential visiting schools, too. “It’s a free day out, it’s fun, and there is even help with your bus costs!” they tell me. And the biggest selling point? “You can learn so much – it’s like a textbook come to life!”
I can’t argue with that, as our tour-guides head off back to school after a job well done. Next year’s tour guides, this year’s P6, have already started their training, and will be ready to offer their services to visiting schools after the summer break.
Any school wishing to find out more about visiting Doune Castle with the Junior Tour Guides can find out more by contacting Doune Primary School via Douneps@stirling.gov.uk or by calling the school office on 01786 841435.
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