Collaborative Civil War Project Brings History to Life at RGS
RGS Worcester is delighted to be involved in The Banners Project, a city-wide initiative celebrating Worcester’s links to the English Civil War. Organised in partnership with The Battle of Worcester Society, the project brings together the Society, the Heart of Worcestershire College, Worcester Sixth Form College and RGS Worcester working collaboratively. The project will see large banners painted by students at each institution, with Year Eight and Lower Sixth Art pupils involved at RGS. These banners will represent the banners of the regiments that took the field at The Battle of Worcester. Planning permission has been granted to display these banners along Copenhagen Street in Worcester from later this summer.
At RGS, the project is being run by the Textiles and the History Departments. The Textiles department will be organising the painting of the banners. Textiles teacher, Ms Hasnat, and History teacher, Mr Pardoe-Davies, have been co-ordinating the project at RGS which complements the Year Eight History curriculum in which the English Civil War is taught. As part of their studies, pupils have explored the historical significance of banners and their role during the period. Mr Pardoe-Davies said: “The project has helped bring home to Year Eight pupils the importance of our local history. Therefore, whether they cross Powick Bridge or walk to School through Worcester each day, they can imagine what it must have been like – and be immensely glad they were not doing so on 3rd September 1651!”.
While the official banners will be those of the regiments that fought that day, RGS has been running its own competition for Year Eight pupils to design their own banner. Judging of the entries took place on Tuesday this week, with Mr Daniels, President of the Battle of Worcester Society, the Headmaster, and Mrs Bishop, Head of Textiles selecting the winning design and two designs to be ‘highly commended’. The winning entry will be turned into a banner by the students and will be displayed within the School.
The winning RGS design will be announced shortly. It is hoped that the official banners, including those painted by RGS pupils, will go on display in Worcester mid-August.
