From Grocer Ted to the Iron Lady
admin
19 01 2012
Year 13 historians study British History from 1951-2007 as part of their A-level course. A recent trip to Salisbury provided a fascinating insight into the lives of two recent Conservative Prime Ministers.Sir Edward Heath was Prime Minister from 1970-74 and from the mid-eighties he lived in Arundells, a large house facing Salisbury Cathedral. The students were able to take a guided tour around the house and learn a great deal more about the human side of the politician- from his time as a world class racing yachtsman and his love of music and the arts to his political differences with Margaret Thatcher and what happened when Bob Geldof and Paula Yates came to Sunday lunch (suffice it to say Geldof was invited back, Yates wasn't!). Our guide was one of Heath's former protection officers who had also guarded Margaret Thatcher on some of her visits to the county and was able to give students a very personal account of a figure they had studied through books and film.
After the tour of Arundells and a spot of tea and shopping, students then went to see the new film about Lady Thatcher, Iron Lady, starring Meryl Streep. The film uses her career and life in retirement as a means of exploring themes such as loss of a loved one and dementia. It was not a political film, but provided a useful introduction to Lady Thatcher's career as we started studying her governments. It also again provided students with one person's interpretation of her character and personality, something which brings History to life and is also valuable on an A-level course which requires students to compare and contrast different interpretations of historical events.