0:00:20 > 0:00:23This story belongs to Fatima
0:00:23 > 0:00:26and her papa, Imtiaz.
0:00:34 > 0:00:36Faster!
0:00:36 > 0:00:38It's a tiny tale about how children,
0:00:38 > 0:00:44just like you, lived in the olden days, over 800 years ago.
0:00:44 > 0:00:46Now it's time for Fatima and Papa Imtiaz
0:00:46 > 0:00:48to go on a journey of discovery.
0:00:48 > 0:00:51Together they're going to find out
0:00:51 > 0:00:53what life was like all those years ago.
0:00:56 > 0:01:01- Can I play?- Yes, you can be a brave knight.
0:01:01 > 0:01:03Are you going to be a princess?
0:01:03 > 0:01:06No, today I'm going to be a knight.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Do you know who used to live in castles?
0:01:09 > 0:01:12Kings, queens, princes and princesses.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14Yes, lots of people lived in the castle
0:01:14 > 0:01:16and worked for the person who owned it.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20How many real castles have you taken me to?
0:01:20 > 0:01:24- Three. Do you like castles as much as I do?- More.
0:01:24 > 0:01:26I know a story about a girl called Matilda,
0:01:26 > 0:01:29who lived in a castle a long time ago.
0:01:29 > 0:01:31Was she a princess?
0:01:31 > 0:01:34No, Matilda lived and worked in the castle with her parents.
0:01:34 > 0:01:36The castle was owned by a lord.
0:01:36 > 0:01:39Not a king or a queen?
0:01:39 > 0:01:43No, lots of people own castles, not just kings and queens.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47Matilda lived over 800 years ago in a time called the Middle Ages.
0:01:47 > 0:01:51- Really?- Yes, would you like to find out about Matilda,
0:01:51 > 0:01:54- castles and the Middle Ages? - Yes, please.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57Would you like to dress up just like Matilda and her papa?
0:01:57 > 0:01:59Oh, yes, please.
0:02:11 > 0:02:14The Middle Ages lasted for a very long time.
0:02:14 > 0:02:17And, for a lot of the time, people were not happy.
0:02:17 > 0:02:20Rich people fell out with other rich people
0:02:20 > 0:02:23and the poor people fell out with the rich people.
0:02:23 > 0:02:26Only the castles got bigger and better during this time.
0:02:26 > 0:02:31The castles were home to both the rich and the poor.
0:02:40 > 0:02:42Are you ready, Fatima?
0:02:44 > 0:02:49- Wow, you look good.- Thank you, but I don't look like a princess.
0:02:49 > 0:02:54No, but you do look like a real little girl from a long time ago.
0:02:54 > 0:02:56Would you like to dress like this every day?
0:02:56 > 0:03:00No, not really. I would miss my own clothes,
0:03:00 > 0:03:03but these make me comfy.
0:03:03 > 0:03:06Do you like your costume?
0:03:06 > 0:03:07Yeah, I love my boots.
0:03:07 > 0:03:10- Shall we take a bow?- Yes, please.
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Now that Fatima and Papa Imtiaz look like people from the Middle Ages,
0:03:17 > 0:03:19they're ready for their big adventure.
0:03:19 > 0:03:21But where will they go?
0:03:23 > 0:03:27Papa Imtiaz has brought Fatima to Mountfitchet Castle.
0:03:27 > 0:03:29It looks exactly like the wooden castles
0:03:29 > 0:03:31that were built in the Middle Ages.
0:03:31 > 0:03:34Many old castles were built on hills,
0:03:34 > 0:03:36so they could see everything around them.
0:03:36 > 0:03:39Before we go inside the castle, we need to wash our money.
0:03:39 > 0:03:42Why? That's silly.
0:03:42 > 0:03:45Yeah, but people back in the Middle Ages, they thought money
0:03:45 > 0:03:47carried germs, which it does.
0:03:47 > 0:03:49So before people went inside the castle,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52they needed to clean their money by washing it in vinegar.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55- Vinegar?- Vinegar cleans money.
0:03:55 > 0:03:58So basically, by doing that, it kills all the germs.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02And then when people go inside the castle, the disease won't spread.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04- Shall we wash our money?- Yes.
0:04:10 > 0:04:14Nice and clean. What does it smell like?
0:04:14 > 0:04:16- Chips.- Chips?!
0:04:32 > 0:04:36Inside the castle was a courtyard called a bailey.
0:04:36 > 0:04:38Matilda and her family would have lived
0:04:38 > 0:04:40and worked in the bailey of the castle.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43It looks like a small village.
0:04:43 > 0:04:46Exactly, people felt safe within the castle walls.
0:04:46 > 0:04:50There would've been so many people squashed into this space.
0:04:50 > 0:04:53So it was a busy place then?
0:04:53 > 0:04:57Very busy, not like it is today. Shall we go and have a look?
0:04:57 > 0:04:59Yes, please.
0:05:04 > 0:05:08Inside the castle, they used to have gardens as well.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10Maybe Matilda played in a garden like this.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13Did they grow their own food?
0:05:13 > 0:05:16Yeah, they grew lots of things. They had fruits and vegetables,
0:05:16 > 0:05:18they even did herbs and flowers.
0:05:18 > 0:05:21- Do you know what this is?- No.
0:05:21 > 0:05:22This is a lavender plant,
0:05:22 > 0:05:25they used to use this for lots of different things.
0:05:25 > 0:05:28What kind of things?
0:05:28 > 0:05:31They used to crush the flower and make oil from it.
0:05:31 > 0:05:34- Do you know used to use the oil for? - No.
0:05:34 > 0:05:37When someone got hurt or burnt they used to use it for that.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40Also, some insects don't like the smell of lavender,
0:05:40 > 0:05:43so they used to put the lavender inside their houses,
0:05:43 > 0:05:45so the insects would stay away.
0:05:45 > 0:05:48- Do you want to have a smell? - Yes, please.
0:05:48 > 0:05:50- Do you like it?- Yeah.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53What they used to do, in the Middle Ages,
0:05:53 > 0:05:55they never had any toilets like we do,
0:05:55 > 0:05:58- so do you know what they used to do? - No.
0:05:58 > 0:06:01They used to have something called a Gong Farmer,
0:06:01 > 0:06:05- he used to come out at night and take all the poo away.- Urgh!
0:06:05 > 0:06:07- Disgusting, isn't it?- Yes.
0:06:07 > 0:06:09Because the smell was so bad,
0:06:09 > 0:06:13they used to actually keep something called scented water.
0:06:13 > 0:06:16And what people used to do, to keep the smell away,
0:06:16 > 0:06:18they used to smell this.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21This is made out of rose water and lavender.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23Mm, lovely.
0:06:34 > 0:06:38- We like playing castles and knights, don't we?- Yes, we do.
0:06:38 > 0:06:40Well, children in the Middle Ages, like Matilda,
0:06:40 > 0:06:43they used to like playing castles and knights, too.
0:06:43 > 0:06:47They had wooden hobby horses and wooden swords, like this.
0:06:47 > 0:06:50- Do you want to play on the hobby horse?- Yes, please.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53But, before you do, I have to knight you.
0:06:53 > 0:06:57I knight you Lady Fatima, of the bailey.
0:06:57 > 0:07:00Thank you, my sir.
0:07:00 > 0:07:03- Do you want to get on the hobby horse?- Yes, please.
0:07:03 > 0:07:06- Thank you, my sir.- No problem.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14Come on, Fatima. Go, Lady Fatima of the bailey.
0:07:14 > 0:07:17- Wow, look at these.- What are these?
0:07:17 > 0:07:20When you were really bad in the Middle Ages,
0:07:20 > 0:07:22they used to put you inside here.
0:07:22 > 0:07:25There are called stocks. You used to have to put your arms through there
0:07:25 > 0:07:27and your neck through there,
0:07:27 > 0:07:30which I'm not going to do.
0:07:30 > 0:07:33Then, the person who was inside here, they couldn't move.
0:07:33 > 0:07:35- Do you know what happened then?- No.
0:07:35 > 0:07:39People would laugh at you and they'd throw rotten fruit at you.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43I know a little story about someone who was naughty,
0:07:43 > 0:07:45- do you want to hear it?- Yes, please.
0:07:45 > 0:07:49Back in the Middle Ages, there was a king who was really naughty.
0:07:49 > 0:07:54His name was King John. He used all his power to steal from people.
0:07:54 > 0:07:57He even stole from churches, bad, isn't it?
0:07:57 > 0:08:00- Yes.- This made everyone upset.
0:08:00 > 0:08:04Some castle owners got together and got King John to agree to some
0:08:04 > 0:08:06new rules.
0:08:06 > 0:08:08And they wrote it down on a piece of paper.
0:08:08 > 0:08:12It was called the Magna Carta. "Magna", means, great.
0:08:12 > 0:08:14What King John did,
0:08:14 > 0:08:18he agreed to the rules and he signed the papers as well.
0:08:18 > 0:08:20- But did he behave?- No.
0:08:20 > 0:08:23Only for a little while, that's right.
0:08:23 > 0:08:25Naughty King John.
0:08:36 > 0:08:39During the Middle Ages, people wanted their castles to be stronger
0:08:39 > 0:08:41and last forever,
0:08:41 > 0:08:45so they started to build stone castles.
0:08:46 > 0:08:49Papa Imtiaz has brought Fatima to Leeds Castle,
0:08:49 > 0:08:52to find out how the castle owners might have lived.
0:08:54 > 0:08:56One of Matilda's jobs would have been
0:08:56 > 0:08:58to carry water to the castle bathroom.
0:08:58 > 0:09:01- Didn't they have taps? - I'm afraid not.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03She would have had to carry water from the wells,
0:09:03 > 0:09:05to where it was needed.
0:09:05 > 0:09:08- Come on, shall we take it to the bathroom?- Yes, please.
0:09:12 > 0:09:14Look at the bath.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18This was the lady of the castle's bathroom.
0:09:18 > 0:09:21- Wow, she must have felt like a real queen.- Yes, she must have.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23What do you think of the bathroom?
0:09:23 > 0:09:27It looks amazing and there's a big difference between the castle
0:09:27 > 0:09:30and the houses in the bailey.
0:09:30 > 0:09:33Yeah, you're right. The lords and ladies were really rich
0:09:33 > 0:09:34and liked to show off their wealth.
0:09:34 > 0:09:37- Do you want to go and have a look around?- Yes, please.
0:09:41 > 0:09:46- And in here, we've got a really nice, special bedroom.- Wow.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49Yeah. What do you think of this bedroom?
0:09:49 > 0:09:54- Fabulous. I wish I had a bedroom like this one.- Yeah, so do I.
0:09:54 > 0:09:57- It's really special, isn't it?- Yes.
0:09:57 > 0:10:00It belonged to a queen named Eleanor. Back in the olden days,
0:10:00 > 0:10:03Matilda would have helped keep this room tidy.
0:10:03 > 0:10:06- Matilda was busy.- Yes, she was.
0:10:16 > 0:10:20People inside the castle had different jobs to do.
0:10:20 > 0:10:22A man called a falconer had the job
0:10:22 > 0:10:24of training and taming birds of prey.
0:10:24 > 0:10:26- Do you want to see a tamed bird?- Oh, yes, please.
0:10:26 > 0:10:29Let's go, then.
0:10:30 > 0:10:32So, Fatima, this is Enzo.
0:10:32 > 0:10:35Enzo is a peregrine falcon.
0:10:35 > 0:10:36Now peregrines are very special,
0:10:36 > 0:10:39because they are the fastest creature in the world.
0:10:39 > 0:10:43Back in the olden days, people used to use these to catch their food.
0:10:43 > 0:10:45So what they'd do is, they'd send the bird off,
0:10:45 > 0:10:47the bird would fly off, nice and high,
0:10:47 > 0:10:49go off, catch its dinner
0:10:49 > 0:10:51and then they'd get to eat that for their tea.
0:10:51 > 0:10:54So would you like to see Enzo fly?
0:10:54 > 0:10:56Yes, please, Mark.
0:11:08 > 0:11:11- So how was that?- It was fantastic.
0:11:11 > 0:11:14It was fast, wasn't it? Now, would you like to hold an owl?
0:11:14 > 0:11:16Yes, please.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20Here we have two owls that you would find in this country.
0:11:20 > 0:11:24Fatima, the bird you're holding is Twiglet and Twiglet is a tawny owl.
0:11:24 > 0:11:26Tawny owls can be found in the wild, in this country,
0:11:26 > 0:11:28living in wooded areas.
0:11:28 > 0:11:31And this one here, this is Buzz and he's a barn owl.
0:11:31 > 0:11:33Again, you can find them in this country.
0:11:33 > 0:11:36Again, in wooded areas, on the edge of fields.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Fatima, have you had a good time finding out
0:11:50 > 0:11:53what it was like a long time ago, during the Middle Ages?
0:11:53 > 0:11:58Yes, I loved finding out about Matilda and the things she did.
0:11:58 > 0:12:02- Do you remember all the things that we've done?- Yeah.
0:12:03 > 0:12:06'We got dressed up in clothes from the Middle Ages.
0:12:06 > 0:12:10'We looked really good.
0:12:10 > 0:12:15'We washed our money in vinegar, before entering the castle.
0:12:16 > 0:12:21'We looked around the wooden castle and saw where people,
0:12:21 > 0:12:24'like Matilda, would have lived.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29'I discovered that they used lavender for different things.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32'And it smelled really good.'
0:12:32 > 0:12:35Mm, lovely.
0:12:35 > 0:12:39'I played at knights on the hobby horse, with a wooden sword.
0:12:41 > 0:12:44'You told me about naughty King John.
0:12:47 > 0:12:50'We visited a beautiful stone castle.
0:12:52 > 0:12:55'We carried water up to the lady's bathroom.
0:12:55 > 0:12:59'And I loved the queen's bedroom.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06'We met Mark, the falconer, and his birds.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09'I held the owl.'
0:13:09 > 0:13:10What did you enjoy the most?
0:13:10 > 0:13:13'Holding the bird, called Twiglet.'
0:13:13 > 0:13:16What was your favourite bit?
0:13:16 > 0:13:19I enjoyed dressing up and spending time with you.
0:13:19 > 0:13:22- Shall we get changed now? - Yes, please.
0:13:22 > 0:13:26- I've loved our adventure and now it's time for...?- A hug.
0:13:26 > 0:13:28I love you.
0:13:30 > 0:13:32What a fabulous heap of fun.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35That was Fatima and Papa Imtiaz's tiny tale,
0:13:35 > 0:13:40about what it was like living during the Middle Ages, over 800 years ago.
0:13:40 > 0:13:43Now Papa Imtiaz has shared his story with Fatima,
0:13:43 > 0:13:47it's time for Fatima to start her very own story.
0:13:47 > 0:13:50Do you know someone with a story to share?