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It happened at Severndroog…
Writing narratives
Information for teachers
Severndroog Castle provides great opportunities for extended narrative writing. The
castle and the surroundings in Oxleas Woods provide an inspiring setting for stories
set in the present day, the past, or even the future. The atmosphere of the place
changes on a daily basis, with different weather and the seasons. The castle feels
isolated, even though it is so close to a major road, so your students should believe
that anything could happen there.
The real story behind the castle, which was built as a memorial to Sir William James
and his adventures by his wife, after he died a sudden death at his daughter’s
wedding, also offers a possible stimulus for writing. Why did Lady James decide this
memorial was needed? How did she use the castle after it was built? Did she visit it
often and think of her husband? Did she visit alone, with her family or with friends?
We don’t really know, so all possibilities are open for discussion and exploration with
your students.
The castle was also used during the Second World War, as a lookout point for
possible air raiders, manned by Special Constables, and this aspect of the more
recent past could also be the starting point for an imaginative story.
This activity looks at ways of starting a story based in or around Severndroog Castle,
collecting ideas about the setting during a visit, and developing these back at school
into a full narrative with rounded characters and a coherent plot.
Before visiting, talk about how stories start, and how the beginning of a story needs
to draw the reader in. Use some examples of different story beginnings to illustrate
your point.
Show your students some images of Severndroog Castle. There are many available
showing the site in various seasons, and at times in its past.
Use the list of story starters below, print it and cut up each sheet, allowing at least
two types of starter for each student. Put all into a box and get everyone to draw out
two slips. If they draw out 2 of the same type, they should re-select one. This should
give each student 4 different starting sentences for their narrative, which they will
explore during the visit, eventually choosing one.
Severndroog Castle Building Preservation Trust
2014
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When you visit, allow some time for quiet exploration of the site. Take students, in
small groups, to several contrasting places, such as the roof, the first and second
floor central rooms, one of the small turret rooms, and a place outside close or
further away from the castle. Ask them to stand quietly and consider what they see,
what they hear and what they feel (as in how this place makes me feel). Get them to
jot down ideas for each place.
Now ask your students to look at their given starting points for a story and to choose
one or two that appeal to them most, using their initial jottings to help them decide.
Students can use the rest of their visit to explore further possibilities for events,
decide where these might take place, and to observe details of rooms, views and
possible routes from one place to another, including the immediate surroundings of
the castle. You may want to get students to work in pairs to share and develop their
ideas as they go. Make sure that all ideas are jotted down for further development.
Back at school, ask your students to work on their narrative. You may want to use
the storyboard approach to encourage a coherent approach to sequencing and story
development. Discuss characterisation and how to develop strong characters. Ask
students to consider the following points.
 Who the characters are, how they arrived at this place, what role they play in
the story – are the key figures or on the side-line?
 What do they look like? Do they have any strange or distinguishing features?
 If the character is historical, what kind of clothes might they wear? What place
do they have in society? Students may have to do further research on this.
 What is their voice like? Do they have a particular manner of speaking?
 How do they walk or run? Is there any odd posture to notice?
 How do other characters react to them? Are they afraid? Are they polite, or
aggressive?
Ask students to make their first draft of their story. Students may work in pairs to
suggest alterations and improvements. When finalised, get students to read their
story to the rest of the class.
Extension activity
Stories may be recorded as digital files with sound effects. There are numerous
websites with free to download sound effects (for example www.mediacollege.com ).
The stories may be shared, put on your school website or sent back to Severndroog
Castle for use on its website.
Severndroog Castle Building Preservation Trust
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Story starters for Severndroog
Traditional
Once upon a time there was a young boy called William …
Long ago, deep in the forest, there was a mysterious castle…
The ‘ed’ starter
Terrified, the boy ran through the woods…
Exhausted, Jane reached the top of the spiral stairs…
The ‘ing’ starter
Sitting quietly in the room, Lady James…
Standing on the roof, the Special Constable could see…
The ‘ly’ starter
Carefully, Tom managed to clamber onto the parapet…
Stealthily, the cloaked figure approached the railings…
Severndroog Castle Building Preservation Trust
2014
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Descriptive sentences
The moisture dripped from the overhanging trees…
The butterfly was trapped behind the cloudy glass…
Sentences that tell you ‘who’
William James and his men captured the fortress of Severndroog, on the
coast of Malabar…
Elizabeth Anne was celebrating her wedding, when…
Short punchy sentences
Jane screamed.
The warden froze.
Similes
He was as cunning as a fox…
She was as quiet as a mouse…
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Sentences that tell you ‘when’
It was so late at night that the place was deserted…
First thing that morning, before the sun rose…
Sentences that tell you where
The castle was perched high on a hill in the middle of the woods…
Lady James was buried in the family vault in Eltham churchyard…
Alliteration
The wind wailed and whistled through the windows…
The slimy, slippery snake slithered under the door of the castle…
Sentences with three actions
The time traveller ran up the spiral stairs, threw open the door, and
shouted ‘Get out!’
Lady James walked up to the castle, sighed, and opened the door for the
first time.
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Drop in clause
Toby, who was usually quite timid, was the first to open the castle door…
The bombing, which had started at midnight, suddenly stopped.
These story starters have been adapted from a resource produced by Bev Evans and available on TES
Connect
Severndroog Castle Building Preservation Trust
2014