Site investigation (AQA GCSE History): Revision Notes
Site investigation
Understanding historic sites in depth
When studying the historic environment of Elizabethan England, you will focus intensively on one particular site from this period. This approach allows you to develop a comprehensive understanding of how people lived, worked, and expressed their culture during Elizabeth I's reign. Rather than studying many sites superficially, this detailed investigation helps you connect your chosen site to the broader historical context of Elizabethan England.
The site investigation method is a focused historical approach that prioritises depth of understanding over breadth of coverage. This intensive study allows you to develop the analytical skills needed to interpret historical evidence and understand how individual sites reflect broader historical patterns.
The site investigation method requires you to examine various types of evidence and sources related to your site. This includes architectural remains, historical documents, archaeological findings, and visual materials like paintings or maps from the period. By analysing these different sources together, you can build a complete picture of your site's significance in Elizabethan society.
Context and second order concepts
Understanding your site requires more than just knowing basic facts about it. You must place it within the wider historical context of Elizabethan England and apply key historical thinking skills known as second order concepts.
Change is crucial to understanding how your site evolved over time. You need to investigate how the site transformed from earlier periods into its Elizabethan form, and what modifications occurred during Elizabeth's reign.
For example, if studying a church, you might explore how religious reforms changed its interior decoration or usage patterns.
Continuity helps you identify which aspects of the site remained consistent over time. This might include structural elements that survived from mediaeval times, or traditional practices that continued despite broader social changes.
Understanding continuity shows how some elements of English society remained stable during this period of significant transformation.
Causation requires you to analyse what factors led to changes at your site. These might include religious policies, economic developments, technological advances, or social pressures.
For instance, the addition of new features to St Swithin's Church in Bude might have resulted from Protestant reforms or increased local prosperity.
Consequence involves examining the results and impacts of developments at your site. Consider how changes affected different groups of people, both immediately and over the longer term.
A new theatre in Elizabethan London, for example, would have had consequences for entertainment, employment, and social interaction in the local community.
The seven key aspects of site investigation
1. Location
The location of your site provides essential clues about its purpose and significance in Elizabethan society. Understanding where the site was built and why that particular location was chosen reveals much about the priorities and needs of the people who created it.
Consider the geographical factors that influenced the site's placement. Was it built near a river for transportation, on high ground for defence, or close to other important buildings for social or economic reasons? Aerial photographs and historical maps can provide valuable evidence about how the surrounding landscape influenced the site's development and use.
The location also tells you about the site's relationship to other parts of Elizabethan society. A building's proximity to markets, churches, or wealthy neighbourhoods reveals information about its social function and the status of its occupants.
2. Function
Determining what your site was used for is fundamental to understanding its role in Elizabethan life. However, buildings often served multiple purposes, and these functions could change over time as society evolved.
Consider whether people actually lived at your site, or if it served other purposes such as worship, entertainment, commerce, or administration. Religious buildings demonstrate the spiritual life of communities, while theatres reveal the growing importance of entertainment in Elizabethan culture. Military sites show concerns about defence and England's international position.
The function of a site also reflects the wealth and status of its owners or users. Grand houses with elaborate great halls demonstrated aristocratic power, while simpler structures served the needs of ordinary people. Understanding these social distinctions helps you appreciate how Elizabethan society was organised and how different groups expressed their identity through architecture.
3. Structure
The physical layout and construction of your site provides direct evidence about how it was used and what it meant to the people who built and occupied it. Examining the structure involves understanding both the practical and symbolic aspects of the building's design.
Key rooms and areas within the site reveal how space was organised and used. In a great house, the great hall served as the centre of social life, while private chambers showed the increasing desire for personal space among the wealthy. The placement of kitchens, servants' quarters, and storage areas demonstrates the practical needs of daily life.
The materials used in construction and the quality of workmanship indicate the resources available to the builders and the importance they placed on the project. Stone construction was expensive and prestigious, while timber-framed buildings were more common but still required skilled craftsmen. These choices reflect both practical considerations and social aspirations.
4. People
Your site was shaped by the many different people who built, lived, worked, and visited it throughout its history. Understanding these human connections brings the site to life and helps you appreciate its social significance.
Consider the full range of people associated with your site. This includes not only the wealthy owners or primary occupants, but also the servants, craftsmen, visitors, and others who played important roles in its daily life. Each group had different experiences and perspectives, and their interactions shaped how the site functioned.
Think about how people's lives were governed by the social structures of Elizabethan England. The strict hierarchy of the period meant that different groups had very different experiences even within the same building. Understanding these social relationships helps explain why sites were designed and used in particular ways.
5. Design
The architectural design of your site reflects both practical needs and cultural values of Elizabethan England. The style choices made by builders and their patrons reveal important information about taste, status, and identity during this period.
Elizabethan architecture often emphasised symmetry, balance, and order, reflecting Renaissance ideas about harmony and proportion. These design principles showed that builders were aware of new artistic movements and wanted to demonstrate their sophistication and education.
The decorative elements of your site also carry meaning. Elaborate carved details, expensive materials, and complex layouts all served to impress visitors and demonstrate the owner's wealth and status. Even simpler buildings might include decorative features that showed their builders' aspirations and cultural connections.
6. Culture, values and fashions
Your site serves as a window into Elizabethan culture, revealing how people of the period understood their world and expressed their values through their built environment. The ways spaces were designed and used reflect broader social attitudes and beliefs.
The organisation of domestic space, for example, reveals Elizabethan ideas about family life, privacy, and social hierarchy. The increasing separation between public and private areas in wealthy homes shows changing attitudes about personal space and family relationships.
Cultural Influence Example: Long Galleries
The popularity of long galleries in Elizabethan houses demonstrates how fashion and social customs influenced site design. These spaces served multiple purposes:
- Exercise and recreation during bad weather
- Display of portraits and family history
- Entertainment of guests with music and dancing
- Demonstration of wealth through expensive decoration
Fashion and social customs also influenced site design. The popularity of long galleries for exercise and display, the importance of gardens for both beauty and practical use, and the growing emphasis on entertaining guests all shaped how buildings were planned and constructed.
7. Important events and developments
Your site existed within the broader context of Elizabethan England's dramatic political, religious, and cultural changes. Understanding how major events and developments affected your site helps you appreciate its historical significance.
Consider how national events like the religious settlement, conflicts with Spain, or economic changes influenced your site's development. A Catholic family's house might have hidden chapels reflecting the dangerous position of recusants, while a theatre might show the growing confidence and prosperity of London's entertainment industry.
Local events and developments were equally important. Changes in trade routes, the rise or decline of local industries, or shifts in population could all affect how sites were used and modified over time.
Timeline of key Elizabethan developments
Key Elizabethan Developments Timeline:
- 1558: Elizabeth I becomes queen, beginning religious settlement
- 1559: Act of Supremacy and Act of Uniformity establish Protestant church
- 1570s-1580s: Major country house building boom begins
- 1576: First purpose-built theatre (The Theatre) opens in London
- 1580s: Increased Catholic persecution following papal bull
- 1588: Spanish Armada defeated, boosting national confidence
- 1590s: Economic difficulties and harvest failures affect building projects
- 1603: Elizabeth dies, ending the Elizabethan era
Key Points to Remember:
- Site investigation requires examining one Elizabethan site in comprehensive detail rather than studying many sites superficially
- The seven key aspects (location, function, structure, people, design, culture/values, and important events) must all be considered to understand a site's full significance
- Second order concepts of change, continuity, causation, and consequence help you think like a historian about your site's development
- Sites reflect the social hierarchy, religious conflicts, and cultural changes of Elizabethan England
- Understanding the people who built, lived, and worked at your site brings history to life and shows how different social groups experienced the period