Building Bridges

Key Stage 2

Summary

This workshop is a cross curricular topic which covers several aspects of the National Curriculum

subjects of Design and Technology, Science, History and Art and Design. The following information

will brief you on the workshop.

The workshop aims to help children work in small teams to understand bridges as structures. Children

learn that structures can fail when overloaded and that techniques can be used to reinforce and

strengthen structures, such as folding, joining, using cylinders, arches and triangular shapes. Pupils will

measure a bridge’s load and span using appropriate units of measurement.

The workshop also aims to help children use a range of first and second hand evidence from the Henley

and River Galleries to learn about the history of Henley Bridge.

Workshop Content

Education Centre (Museum Tutor Led)

• In this practical activity. The children will work in small groups, to design and make a bridge

which will carry a minimum load of twenty 2p coins over a span of 22cm.

• Each group will have a limited ‘budget’ from which they can ‘purchase’ materials provided by

the museum.

• During the introduction children will be shown different types of bridges and techniques they

can use to help strengthen their bridge.

• At the end of the session some bridges will be tested to destruction with the permission of the

builders.

River Walk to Henley Bridge (Museum Tutor Led) If you have previously booked a boat trip,

it will replace this session.

• The group will walk along the tow path to look, sketch and label the main parts of Henley

Bridge.

• The museum tutor will briefly mention the history of Henley Bridge and how the use of the

bridge has changed over the past 200 years.

Galleries (Teacher Led)

Working in groups, the children will use the Gallery Challenge Cards to find out information about the

history of Henley Bridge, and its relationship with the town of Henley.

Learning Outcomes

• An understanding of structures and the different techniques used to strengthen them

• Working as a member of a small team to design and make a bridge for a specific task

• An understanding of the different forces present in different types of simple bridges

• An understanding of the way different materials can be used to make different types of bridges

• Understanding what a fair investigation is and which variables have to be controlled.

• An understanding of chronology by considering how the use of a bridging point and a specific

bridge has changed over a period of time.

• Using historical evidence (first and second hand) to make observations and answer questions

about the past

• Understanding how the use of shading, patterns, different grades of pencils, hatching and

cross hatching can add tone and texture to a sketch. It is recommended these sketching

techniques are taught at school before the visit.

Equipment

Equipment Provided by the Museum

• Clipboards

• Laminated Challenge Cards

Equipment provided by the School

• Paper and pencils for the gallery

• Waterproof clothing and shoes for the walk to Henley Bridge

• A packed lunch and drink

• Photocopied Henley Bridge sketching and quiz sheets, one per student

• Photocopied Gallery Challenge Card answer sheets, one per student

• Photocopied Gallery Map, one per adult

Student preparation

We recommend the students have the following preparation

• An awareness that they will be coming to our museum for a hands-on day of learning

• Some basic drawing sketching skills as described above

• If possible staff should:

• Ensure helpers are fully briefed on how best the maximize the learning on the day

• Ensure pupils respect the other users of the museum

• Provide pupils with a name badge

Large print versions of this and all teachers’ and pupils’ materials are

available. Please ask when booking.

Copyright for any materials provided remains with the River and Rowing Museum.

Name:

Henley Bridge Worksheet

In the box make a sketch of Henley Bridge and draw arrows from the following labels to the correct places on your sketch.

arch keystone cutwater Oxfordshire

side

River

Thames

Berkshire

side balustrade Stone

blocks

Henley Bridge Quiz

(tick the correct box to answer the questions)

Who planned and designed the Henley Bridge and then died before the bridge was finished?

❑ Christopher Wren

❑ William Hayward

How many arches does Henley Bridge have?

❑ 5 ❑ 8 ❑ 3 ❑ 7

Why do you often find pubs like ‘The Angel On

The Bridge’ at the entrances to bridges?

Answer

Use your binoculars and decide whether it is Isis

or Tamesis who is carved on the keystone facing

towards you.

❑ Isis ❑ Tamesis

Building Bridges

Gallery Challenge Cards Answer Sheet

Bridges Gallery Challenge Card 1 (Jan Siberechts Painting)

1) What type of boat is on the River Thames?

2) The boats are moved by

3) The bridge is made from and .

4) Henley Bridge is a mixture of the following two types of bridges.1)

2)

Bridge Gallery Challenge Card 2 (Tamesis and Isis)

1) The carvings of Isis and Tamesis were used to decorate the

2) Tamesis is the God of the River Thames.

3) The keystone of faces upstream.

4) has fish playing in his beard and bulrushes in his hair.7

Henley Bridge and Turnpike Challenge Card 3 (Henley Bridge at Night 1790)

1) What was Anne Damer responsible for making which is attached to Henley Bridge?

_________________________________________________________________

2) Why did users have to pay a TOLL to use Henley Bridge?

_________________________________________________________________

3) Look at the watercolour print of Henley Bridge at night. Why was it dangerous to travel near Henley

Bridge at night?

_________________________________________________________________

Name:

N

Bridges Gallery Challenge Card 4 (Dr Plot’s History of Henley)

1) People could only get from one side of the River Thames to the other by

or

2) The Henley Bridge was built in 1170 but was badly damaged by and the new

bridge was built in .

3) The new bridge cost £ and up to stage coaches crossed it each day.

4) People used to pay a to be allowed to cross the bridge.

Bridges Gallery Challenge Card 5 (Jenning’s Wharf)

The two differences between the two scenes are 1)

2)

The two things the same between the two scenes are

1)

2)

Bridges Gallery Challenge Card 1 (Jan Siberechts Painting)

Go to the Henley Gallery and walk into the room next to ‘Eva’ the umpire’s steam launch.

As you walk in you will see Jan Siberecht’s painting of ‘Henley from the Wargrave Road’ which he painted over 300 years ago.

Look carefully at the painting on display, and the section on Henley Bridge. Now answer the questions on your separate

answer sheet.

1) What type of boat is

travelling on the river?

3) The bridge is made from two

different materials. What are they?

2) How did the boats move

on the river? They had no

engines!

4) Henley Bridge is a mixture of

two types of bridges. What are

they?

Bridges Gallery Challenge Card 2 (Tamesis and Isis)

Go to the models of Isis and Tamesis in the Henley Gallery and read the information about the keystones on Henley Bridge.

Now answer the questions below on your separate answer sheet.

1) Which part of the bridge do the carvings of Isis and Tamesis

decorate?

2) Is Tamesis the Egyptian or Roman God of the River Thames?

3) Which keystone faces upstream towards the River and Rowing

Museum?

4) Which keystone has fish playing in his beard?

Bridges Gallery Challenge Cards 3 (Henley Bridge at Night 1790)

Go to the Henley Gallery and look at the watercolour print of Henley Bridge at Night 1790 and answer the questions below

on your separate answer sheet.

1) What part of Henley Bridge was Anne Damer responsible for making?

2) Why did people using Henley Bridge once have to pay a TOLL?

3) Why was it dangerous for people to travel at night near Henley Bridge?

Bridges Gallery Challenge Card 4 (Dr Plots History Of Henley)

Go to the Henley Gallery and find the place where you can sit down, watch and listen to Dr Plot’s history of Henley called ‘A

Town Built by the River’. Now fill in the missing letters and numbers for the sentences to make sense on your separate

answer sheet.

1) Before a bridge was built at Henley people could only get from one side

of the river to the other side by going on a f _ _ _ y or crossing a f_ _ _.

2) A bridge was built in 1170, but it was badly damaged by

f _ _ _ ds, which was why the new bridge was built in 17 _ _.

3) The new bridge cost £10, _ _ _ to build, and up to _ _ stage coaches a

day crossed it to and from London.

4) People once used to have to pay a t _ _ l to be allowed to cross the

bridge. The money was then used to repair the bridge.

Bridges Gallery Challenge Card 5 (Jenning’s Wharf Painting)

Go to the River Gallery and find the painting of Jennings Wharf by Wade. Look carefully at the painting in the gallery and

think about how we can tell this painting was painted over 180 years ago.

On your separate answer sheet write two differences and two things which are the same between the old painting and the

new photograph