Duck Explorer’s Visit to the

UK!

The UK is an island so Duck Explorer came by aeroplane. These are aeroplanes at Newcastle International Airport. This is the largest Airport in the North East. The airport opened on the 26th July 1935.

This is our School. There are 6 classes and 140 children. We do lots of exciting things and enjoy being outside, even when it is raining or snowing!

Duck Explorer saw Audrey, our Priest, lead Holy Communion in School to celebrate St. Andrew’s Day on 30th November.

Both our School and Church are named after Saint Andrew so it is a special day to celebrate.

It was a really special day for all the children and adults who came.

This is Heddon church and parts of it were built in 680 AD. It was named the Church of St Andrew in 1886.

This is Hadrian’s wall at Heddon. It was built by Romans and was 80 Roman miles long to separate the Romans from the barbarians.

It was built in 122AD and gives the village its name.

This is the Knott hall at Heddon. It was built in 1898 and is used for private functions. You can see how much snow we get in the winter!

This is The Swan, it is a pub and restaurant in Heddon. It was built in 1780. Part of it used to be a Blacksmiths.

This is Ponteland. The name means island in the Pont, the river which flows through the village.

This is the Tyne bridge in Newcastle. It was opened in 1928. It is 26 metres above the river and has a span of 162 metres.

This is the Baltic in Newcastle. It is an art gallery on the bank of the River Tyne. It used to be a warehouse to store flour.

This is Eldon square. It is a shopping centre in Newcastle city centre.

This is the Sage in Gateshead. It is a place to see concerts.

This is the Castle Keep in Newcastle. It overlooks the River Tyne. It was build in 1100AD.

This is St Nicholas’ cathedral in Newcastle. It was built in 1194 with the tower being finished by 1500.

It only became the cathedral for Newcastle in 1882.

The children go here for special services.

This is the Millennium Bridge in Newcastle. When boats need to pass through, it tilts so that they are able to go through. It was opened to the public in 2001.

This is the Angel of the North. It is 20 metres high and 54 metres wide.

This is the Metro Centre. It is a shopping centre in Gateshead. It is the largest in Europe.

This is St James’ park which is Newcastle United Football Stadium. It can hold up to 52,409 people. It has been there home ground since 1892.

This is the civic centre in Newcastle upon Tyne. It is used for conference meetings. It was opened in 1968. It is the offices for Newcastle City Council.

This is Hexham, it is a market town and civil parish in Northumberland.

This is Alnwick castle. It is the home of the Percy family who are the Dukes of Northumberland and has been for 700 years. The Harry Potter films were made here!

This is Bamburgh castle. This is the castle that was used in the Robin Hood film. This castle was built in parts, the first part was built in 547 AD.

This is Cragside hall. It was built by Victorians in 1863. It was the first house in England to be lit by hydro-electricity.

This is Lindisfarne Abbey. This was attacked by Vikings in 793 AD. It was one of the first Christian churches in England. The world famous Lindisfarne Gospels were written here.

This is Gibside. It was a park for a rich family. It was owned by the Royal Family.

The building is the private chapel for the family.

This is Wallington Hall. It is a mansion in the countryside. It has lots of famous paintings and statues including some Griffin’s heads.

This is Woodhorn colliery. It was a coal mine for more than 80 years until 1989. It became a museum in 2006. There used to be lots of coal mines in the North East of England.

This is the North Sea coastline. You can see big waves and the sea is very rough.

This is St Mary’s Lighthouse in Whitely Bay. It was built in 1898. It has 137 steps up to the top.

This is the Spanish city. It is a fun fair in Whitley Bay, a seaside town in the northeast. It opened in 1910 as a concert hall.

Durham Cathedral is a World Heritage Site. There is a shrine to St Cuthbert here. It is a very important cathedral, built 900 years ago.

This is Penshaw monument situated in the city of Sunderland. It was built in 1844 on top of a 446ft hill. Penshaw Hill is where the Lambton Worm lived.

Duck Explorer had a ride on a working replica of ‘Puffing Billy’, the first steam train in the world at Beamish Museum. It was built and used the railway line near Heddon. This year it is 200 years since it was first used and the school will be involved in the celebrations. This really is Europe in motion!

Loch Ness is in Scotland. It has the largest volume of water in the UK. There is a monster called Nessie that lives in it! Sadly Duck Explorer did not see the monster.

This is Blackpool. It is a seaside resort in North-West England. It is famous for its tower and displays of coloured lights called ‘the illuminations’.

This is a national park in North England called The Lake District. There are lots of lakes and mountains. It is a very beautiful place.

This is Snowdonia. It is a national park in North Wales. It is very beautiful.

This is the Severn Bridge. It links England with Wales and is one of the longest bridges in the UK.

Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument in Wiltshire. It was constructed in 3100 BC. No-one knows what it was used for.

This is William Shakespeare’s house in Stratford. He was a famous writer. He lived between 1564 – 1616. His plays are very popular and are still performed today.

This is the Houses of Parliament where politicians meet to decide laws and make decisions for the United Kingdom. The clock tower on the right holds the bell ‘Big Ben’.

This is Buckingham Palace which is in London. Our Queen, Queen Elizabeth II, lives in Buckingham Palace. It became a palace in 1826 after being a grand house.

This is Queen Elizabeth. She is the Queen of the UK. She has been Queen for 60 years and all the people in the UK celebrated her Diamond Jubilee this year by having big parties!

This is the London eye. You can see around 25 miles from the top, as far as Windsor Castle on a clear day. Each of the 32 capsules weighs 10 tonnes.

This is the Olympic Stadium. The Olympics were held in London during 2012. The UK did very well winning lots of medals.

This is the post office tower in London. It is 189 metres tall and became the tallest building in 1962 and held its title until 1980.

This is the tower bridge in London. The middle part of the bridge lifts up to let large boats pass through.

This is St Paul’s Cathedral in London. It is a church of England cathedral and seat of the bishop of London. The first St. Paul’s was built in 604 AD but was burnt down in the Great Fire of London in 1666. The new St. Paul’s was finished in 1708.

This is 10 Downing street in London. It is the headquarters of Her Majesty's Government. It is over 300 years old and has 100 rooms. This is where the Prime Minister lives.

This is Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London. It is unusual because it is round. The stage sticks out into the audience and people have to stand to see the plays.

This is Harry Potter Land in London. It is a very popular theme park. You can visit the Harry Potter sets.

This is Windsor Castle. It is near London, the Queen lives here when she is not at Buckingham Palace. It is the largest castle where people still live.

Legoland is in Windsor, near London. It is a theme park with lots of rides and models of buildings from around the world made of Lego.

This is the Giant’s Causeway in Northern Ireland. It is made of basalt columns from an extinct volcano. In the past people thought that it had been built by the giant Finn MacCool.

Many people leave the UK by boat. This is a ferry that goes from Newcastle ferry port to Holland.

Duck Explorer left the UK on the Eurostar train to go to Italy. The Eurostar goes through the Channel Tunnel to France. The tunnel goes under the sea and is 50km long. Duck Explorer had a really exciting time in the UK and visited lots of interesting places but is looking forwards to visiting Italy.

Duck Explorer really enjoyed his visit to the United Kingdom but is looking forward to visiting Italy next!

Duck Explorer’s Visit to the UK was written by:

Joseph N

Naomi

Megan

Murray

Isaac

Morgan

Maelona

Beth

Mohamed

Ruby

Emma

Katie

Emily

Joe

Will

William

Joseph P

Ethan

Charlotte

Freya

Dan

Freddie

Ben

Max

Jenna

Anna M

JayIsabella

Sam

Sophie DSophie C

Amy

Lucy

Georgia

Daniel

Anna H Amelia

Charlotte H Jessica

Molly

Lily