Learning with the palaces

Learning is woven into everything we do

Learning is intrinsic to our visitor experience, it is embedded in every interaction and encounter with our visitors.

Our ambition is for everyone to discover our palaces and their stories and to transform their relationship with history.

We offer a pioneering programme that delivers exciting content, activities and events to families, schools and adults on-site, off-site and online.

A dementia friendly heritage site

‘Rethinking heritage: A guide to help make your site more dementia-friendly’ is a resource written by those who are working to promote dementia-friendly practice in small, large, national and local heritage organisations.

Family fun

Our daily public programming makes exploring the palaces as a family a real treat. We offer a range of imaginative activities – interactive trails, creative workshops, storytelling, object handling, digital activity and more. 

We stage family events on a grand scale with an irresistible mix of spectacle, live interpretation, traditional crafts and cutting-edge technology.

Half terms and school holidays are packed with extra family activities at the palaces. Discover what’s on and start planning your next great day out.

Schools and colleges

Our popular schools programme offers a huge amount of stimulating content at all levels from nursery to A-level.

We ask teachers what they want from us and we listen. This makes your school visit as useful and enjoyable as possible.

Podcasts

We embrace new ways of telling our stories too. With a range of podcasts to listen to, from exciting historical fiction and panel discussions to live recordings of our talks and events, there is something for every listener. 

Outliers - Stories from the edge of history

Enjoy our series of fictional stories from award-winning contemporary writers as they reveal the secrets and people hiding in the shadows of real events at some of the greatest palaces ever built. Writers for the series include: Che Walker, Jonny Sims (The Magnus Archive Podcast), Laila Sumpton, David K Barnes (Wooden Overcoats), Rukhsana Ahmed, Anita Sullivan and Debs Newbold. In association with Rusty Quill.

How we used to talk about

Join the debate as our panellists explore contemporary issues through the lens of historic figures, places and language to illuminate how we used to talk about the past. 

Live talks and debates 

We record our popular expert talks and debates live at the palaces. If you missed one, catch up by tuning into our extensive back catalogue.

All types of learning

We provide lifelong learning opportunities for people with a deep interest in the heritage and conservation of our palaces with on-site themed talks, study days, lively debates and lectures.

We reinvent our stories in new and exciting ways; by combining storytelling, immersive theatre and technology to create ground-breaking experiences that appeal to anyone who loves an adventure at one of our palaces!

And our younger visitors can download the free Time Explorers app to their own device and explore the palaces; the learning is subtle and fun, it's embedded into the gameplay.

Learn online

Join expert historians and fellow learners in one of our popular, free online courses. Find out how British kings and queens have influenced fashion over 500 years and immerse yourself in the changing tastes of royalty.

Making the palaces accessible to all

We work closely with community groups to reach diverse audiences. We're developing our 'Community Access Scheme' which offers free entry and practical advice and support to adult community groups and education providers based locally to the Tower of London.

We've developed an 'Access Fund for Schools', supporting visits from Key Stage 1 - 4 students and special school students. This fund offers schools the opportunity to have a high quality learning experience at Hampton Court Palace and the Tower of London.