This lesson explores how the Normans used castles to secure their power across England. Students compare Motte‑and‑Bailey castles with later Stone Keep designs, investigate the layout and purpose of the Tower of London, and apply their understanding by designing their own defensive Norman castle. Through diagrams, modelling tasks and structured comparison, pupils learn how architecture became a tool of military control.

Lesson Objectives
Compare Motte‑and‑Bailey to Stone Keep castles by analysing strengths, weaknesses and defensive features.

Explore the design of the Tower of London to understand how it symbolised Norman authority.

Design a defensive Norman castle using key features such as baileys, keeps, gatehouses and moats.

This lesson is visual, hands‑on, and perfect for developing Year 7 understanding of how the Normans used architecture to control England, blending creativity with historical reasoning.

Some visuals in this resource were made with AI to help bring ideas to life and support student understanding.