Before lunch, they wandered the many 'streets' of the museum where they could imagine how Victorians lived in towns when Victoria was Queen. They saw a variety of vehicles, including trams, coaches, buses, bikes, steam driven rollers and even a Victorian style caravan. The street signs, lampposts and shop windows with adverts and goods, also helped the boys to understand that we still share much with the past, even if the world before digital looked so different. Then came the chance to buy sweets in an old-fashioned sweetshop and learn how to play hopscotch, which all boys greatly enjoyed.

In the afternoon, the boys went to Victorian school where they learned about the strict rules and the repetitive learning that was normal for Victorian schoolboys and, for a second workshop, they learned about life and work at a local iron foundry through maps and photographs. I was impressed by the questions and interest of the boys, and I hope that they will remember how the world was transformed by the industry and invention of the Victorians.