On Thursday, J6 travelled back in time to 1897. They became Victorian children attending the village school at Sevington, Wiltshire, run by the formidable Miss Squire and her sister. Dressed as a mixture of girls and boys in full Victorian attire they approached with trepidation when the school bell was rung and they lined up to have their hands and shoes checked.
In the schoolroom, after the register which they answered using their Victorian name they learnt how to use a slate pencil, then a copy book with a dipping pen. They performed some arithmetic using the imperial money system of pounds, shillings and pence and they sat in rows on the hard benches, separated into boys and girls. The girls were then taken off to do some sewing and polishing to see if they were good enough to apply for a job in service at the big house while the boys had a science lesson. Later the boys made honeycomb wax candles and had to perform their drill exercises. During recreation the boys played with hoops and rods and had a game of cricket while the girls played with hoops and skipping ropes. In the final session the children were told about the Victorian punishments and articles of correction such as finger stocks, the cane and the dunce's hat. It was a fantastic day and the children really enjoyed their first hand experience of the harsh school regime.
Some quotes from the day:
"I loved playing with Victorian toys." Evie
"Today I had so much fun pretending to be a Victorian girl, Eliza Webb. I was a monitor and had to help hand everything out." Olivia
"I found it really difficult to write with my right hand because I am left-handed." Isabella
"Miss Squire was strict but I loved candle-making club." Zoe
"It really amused me how it was so real and we were literally back in time." Helena
"I thought the cane looked extremely painful." Lili
.jpg?command_1=resize&height_1=85)
