The benefits of learning in historical sites and museums are well documented. De Silva, Smith and Tranter wrote in Teaching History 102, Inspiration and Motivation Edition, about exploring identity through the biography of a house, suggesting the possibility of teaching from the local to capture the national picture. However, students often need explicit help and guidance to find the links between the history they are studying and their own locality. Ian Coles, working as an Education Officer at the Tower of London, was keen to collaborate with others in the area in order to help pupils develop these links. The resulting project moves well beyond the traditional worksheet-tour or illustrated lecture format to develop the pupils’ skills of questioning and persuasion.