As part of the GCSE History course, students need to learn about a local site of historical interest. Our year 10 and 11 students recently visited our chosen site, Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

This internationally renowned institution began in just one room in 1852 but with support from some key individuals such as Charles Dickens and Queen Victoria, it quickly took root and grew into a really important centre for medical excellence. These pictures show some of the parts of GOSH we visited with the kind assistance of the archivist Nick Baldwin. Cissy took photos of the chapel, which when it was built in 1875, cost as much as the rest of the hospital put together. World War I and WWII were important in the history of the hospital and there is a special exhibition on at the moment. We also looked at bomb damage on the exterior of the building, which has been filled in but is clear evidence of the Blitz, which destroyed a newly built section. It was a really fruitful afternoon and showed us some of the key changes that students will be writing about.