Hove Museum & Art Gallery
This session usually happens at Hove Museum & Art Gallery but occasionally will be
moved to one of our other sites. Please check your confirmation letter or telephone the
schools booking office 03000 290903
Victorian Bygones
An Information Pack for Teachers
Be a history detective and find out what life was like for Victorian
children and adults.
This session can complement a visit to Preston Manor
Contents
Introduction
Aims of session
National curriculum links
Risk assessment
Group leader’s sheet
Guidelines for your visit
Pre visit and post visit activities
Background information
You may also like to visit
www.heritagelearningbrighton.org.uk
heritage.learning@brighton-hove.gov.uk
03000 290903
Introduction
The Victorian Bygones handling session consists of a range of objects and ephemera
relating to different experiences of Victorian everyday life. The artefacts invite pupils to
think about different aspects of Victorian life, both inside and outside the home.
The session allows pupils to ask and answer questions and make deductions about
working and living conditions during Queen Victoria’s reign. It also aims to develop their
skills of empathy for other people’s experiences through close observation and discussion.
This pack is intended to give a brief introduction to the session, the objects and the way
they are used at the museum. The session supports areas of the KS2 History, Citizenship
and Literacy programmes of study.
The pack also provides general information about the museum, suggestions for planning
and preparing for a visit, and some background information on the Victorian era.
Outline of the session
The session lasts one hour.
Pupils work in three groups. Each group is given a selection of Victorian objects and
ephemera that can be examined closely. Pupils explore and investigate the artefacts in
order to make deductions about what each might have been used for, and what it tells us
about everyday life during Queen Victoria’s reign. The groups move around the tables so
they are able to handle all the artefacts.
The accompanying adults are asked to support the children’s learning at certain points
throughout the session by encouraging discussion, posing questions, making suggestions,
looking for evidence and encouraging close observational work.
Following this close observation work, the museum teacher will lead the children in a whole
class discussion about what the objects and sources reveal about the Victorians.
Group organisation
Please make sure that you have organised the class and the adult helpers into groups of
three for the handling session.
Aims of the Session
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Use primary sources to discover about the past
Ask and answer questions to find out about the past
Make links with people in the past by studying Victorian objects
Find out about the range of materials used in Victorian times
Find out that the Victorians developed unique and imaginative ways to solve
particular problems and that some of them are still used today
To learn more about the wider historical context of local Victorian life through
understanding travel, trade and technology.
Develop an awareness of the similarities and differences between Victorian and
modern life
The session provides opportunities for
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Discussion
Observation
Questioning
Speaking and listening
Describing (speaking, writing, drawing)
Deduction and/or interpretation
Social skills
1.
2.
Co-operation
Respect for things/other people
Specific Curriculum Links
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
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a study over time tracing how several aspects of national history are reflected in the
locality (this can go beyond 1066)
a study of an aspect of history or a site dating from a period beyond 1066 that is
significant in the locality.
significant historical events, people and places in their own locality.
Hove Museum & Art Gallery
Generic Hazard Sheet – Organised visits
This sheet will enable schools or groups to use this information for the development of
visit risk assessments as required by statutory regulations on Health & Safety.
The following hazards have been identified as being inherent to visits to and use of Hove
Museum & Art Gallery and its facilities. These hazards are themselves subject to
individual risk assessment by this organisation. This list may not include all hazards that
may be present and the council does not accept liability for omissions to this list.
Control measures indicated are for guidance only and the group must satisfy itself as to
their suitability.
Hazard
Fire
Collision with objects on
display
Reckless behaviour –
injury to self and others
Trips, slips, falls
Doors
Passenger lift
Handling objects –
physical injury or toxic
reaction
Arts and crafts activities
– cutting and fastening,
choking, paint and glue
Lunch Room
August 2014
Recommended Control
Evacuate immediately on alarm or if asked by museum staff.
Follow all evacuation instructions
No running. Follow instructions on behaviour from staff
Verbal instruction and adult supervision
No running. Beware of changing light levels and changing floor
levels. Beware of group members and group leaders looking at
displays and not at floor. Verbal instruction on hazards.
Beware of trapped fingers, automatic doors and collision with
glass doors.
Supervision required
Follow instructions on behaviour. Do not place objects or hands
in mouth or eyes. Wash hands afterwards.
Use only equipment provided or recommended.
Follow instructions.
Adult supervision.
Adult supervision required
Group Leader’s Sheet
Group Leader
Group Members
Schedule for the day
The group should collect information about
They should use the following galleries/displays
They need to
Please encourage pupils to ask questions and talk about the things they find. Ask them
lots of questions to encourage them to look at the display closely. Can they find out more
from the labels or objects around them?
Brighton and Hove Museums
Guidelines and Risk Assessment for Schools
Hove Museum & Art Gallery
BEFORE YOUR VISIT
 Please ensure that students have pens or pencils and clipboards if necessary.
 The students should wear suitable footwear.
 Please ensure that you have enough adults to provide adequate supervision for your
group. Minimum staff ratio is 1:10 KS1+2, 1:15 KS3.
 All group leaders and accompanying adults must have a copy of the confirmation letter
and a group leader’s sheet that lists the itinerary for the day.
ON ARRIVAL
 Groups must arrive at least five minutes before their first activity is due to start. The
teacher in charge should escort the group to the main entrance of the museum and
report to the information desk. It is essential that you tell us how many students and
adults are in your group.
GALLERY VISITS
 School parties must remember that the museum is open to members of the public as
well. Please supervise your group so they do not block walkways or displays. It would be
very helpful if groups are staggered to visit different galleries. Worksheets can be
distributed before entering the gallery. A range of worksheets can be downloaded from
the museum’s website at www.heritagelearningbrighton.org.uk
TEMPORARY EXHBITIONS
 The temporary exhibitions on the ground floor change every few months. There will be
warning signs on the door if the content of the exhibition is unsuitable for particular age
groups or contain sensitive material. Please take note of this before allowing students in.
PHOTOGRAPHY
 Photography is allowed throughout the museum. Occasionally photography will not be
allowed in the temporary exhibition galleries and there will be a sign on the door to
indicate this. When taking photographs please be aware of other visitors around you and
ensure you do not block gangways or disturb others.
TEACHING SESSIONS
 If you have pre-booked a teaching session with a museum teacher please report to the
Information Desk where your teacher will meet you and escort you to the education
rooms.
ACCESS AND SPECIAL NEEDS
 All areas of Hove Museum & Art Gallery are accessible for wheelchair users and people
with limited mobility. Please inform Museum Learning of any access or special needs
requirements when booking your visit.
 Sessions can be adapted to suit individual needs. Please discuss any specific
requirements with Museum Learning when booking your visit.
LIFT

The lift is primarily intended for elderly and disabled visitors. Please tell your group this
before the visit. The lift is situated behind the Information Desk on the ground floor and
the Craft gallery on the second floor.
TOILETS
 There are accessible toilets on the ground floor by the education room and on the first
floor.
MUSEUM SHOP
 Students must be accompanied by a teacher or adult at all times.
LUNCH
 School groups can picnic in the Hove Museum garden in good weather.
BEHAVIOUR IN THE MUSEUM
 Teachers are responsible for the behaviour of their groups throughout the visit. Please
ensure that your party is divided into small groups and that a member of staff or
responsible adult is in charge and in sight of each group. Other visitors must not be
disturbed by inconsiderate behaviour.
 No food or drink, including sweets, may be consumed anywhere in the museum, except
the Tearoom.
 It is not permitted to touch any of the exhibits on display. This is for their long-term
preservation and for safety reasons.
 We regret that failure to abide by these rules may result in the group being asked to
leave the building and future visits by the school being stopped.
GETTING THE MOST OUT OF INDEPENDENT VISITS
 Please ensure that you have a structured day and that your students and all
accompanying adults know what the itinerary is. If you have any queries regarding
exhibitions or activities please let us know well in advance of your visit if possible.
 It is very helpful if you contact us before your visit so we can monitor how many people
are in the museum and advise you on the best time to visit.
 Please ensure that your students have been given something to do and know why they
have come to the museum. Occasionally students are left to wander with nothing to do,
which has potential for negative behaviour and can lead to increased safety risk and
disturbance to others.
 Care and consideration must be given to all other users of the museum.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
 The museum has staff fully trained in first aid should you need assistance. In this event
please alert your museum teacher if you have one or an Information & Security Officer.
 It is essential that groups adhere to our rules and regulations regarding running in the
galleries, down the stairs etc. This helps to prevent accidents and ensures that all visitors
to the museum have a safe visit.
 The museum has full evacuation procedures in case of emergency or fire. All fire exits
are clearly marked and all staff have received training in evacuation procedures. Please
ensure that all members of your group understand the importance of following such
procedures in the event of an evacuation.
 The museum has £10 million Public Liability Insurance cover.
TRAVEL AND PARKING

Hove Museum can be reached on the following bus routes: 1, 6 and 49.

Coach drop off point is in New Church Road, outside the main entrance.
Minibus and car parking is available for disabled group visitors but must be booked in advance.
Please tell us the registration number of the vehicle when you make your booking.
Pre Visit Activities
A visit to Hove Museum & Art Gallery will be most effective if it is embedded within your
existing curriculum plans as part of an ongoing project, rather than a one-off experience.
The pre and post visit activities offered here provide a number of ways of making these
links.
As preparation for your museum visit, it is particularly useful if children have already had
experience of looking at and discussing objects in the classroom.
Looking at objects
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Ask the pupils to bring in anything they have at home from the Victorian period (flat
irons, match boxes, newspapers etc)
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It is also useful to examine contemporary objects which will provide comparisons (eg
electric iron, bicycle lamp, potato masher)

Encourage children to ask questions about each of the sources

Draw an object from a description: children work in pairs – one describes the object
for the other to draw without identifying it. Did they draw the right thing? Pairs swap
roles.

Create a ‘feely box’ to work out what an object is through sense of touch
Example questions for developing investigative skills

what shape is it?

what is it?

what is the object made from?
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what colour is it?
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what does it feel like?
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what does it smell like?
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who used it?
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where and why would it be used?

why was it made?

what does this source tell you?
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what doesn't it tell you?
Post Visit Activities
A diary entry
Children could do some research leading to a diary entry about a day in the life of a child
their age working as a scullery maid or apprentice footman.
 What time would you have to get up in the morning?
 What do you have to wear? How to you feel as you are getting dressed?
 What are the other servants like? Is there anybody your age or are they all older?
What about the family that you serve? How do you feel about them?
 What is it like in the servants’ quarters? What can you smell, taste, see, touch and
hear?
 What do you think about Victorian Britain? What are your hopes and dreams?
Inside a Victorian house
Children could write a script in groups for a television documentary about a regular day in
the life of a large Victorian household, possibly leading to role play.
 Who would you like to talk to in the household?
 What would you ask them?
 What would they be likely to say?
 How would your presenter describe the kitchen? Sitting room? Servants’ quarters?
Master bedroom?
Other ideas
 Campaign poster: create a persuasive poster campaigning against the appalling
conditions in the workhouses/factories
 Campaign speech: can you use some persuasive techniques to persuade the
Victorian government to improve conditions in the workhouses?
 Rotten Recipes: the Victorians loved their food. Some favourite dishes were
camembert jelly, brains in butter and herb sauce, and snipe heads on toast (snipe
are medium sized wading birds). Can you create your own vile Victorian recipe to
disgust your classmates?
 Ingenious Inventors: the Victorians invented lots of new things. Can you think of
anything you could invent to help you with your everyday life? A machine that writes
for you? A contraption that makes it look as if you are in bed asleep when you are
really downstairs watching TV? Draw and label your invention and be ready to
present it to your class with a Dragon’s Den style presentation (you can download
clips to inspire from the BBC website)
 Further research: instruct children to find out more about the objects they have
investigated at the museum. They could refer to books, discuss with other children
and explore objects further on the museum website: www.brighton-hove-rpml.org.uk
Background information for teachers
This section is intended to give the teacher background information on some of the objects
their class will be working with during the session.
Please do not use all this information with your class before your visit as it will undermine
their investigation and discovery on the day.
The Victorian era
The Victorian era refers to a period in the history of the United Kingdom coinciding with the
reign of Queen Victoria, who was on the throne from June 1837 to January 1901. The
period was immediately preceded by the Regency era, and succeeded, after Victoria’s
death in 1901, by the Edwardian period, with the crowning of Victoria’s son, Edward. It was
a complex and diverse era, and a volatile one, encompassing huge social, political and
technological change. During the 63 years of Queen Victoria's reign life in ordinary houses
was transformed by a succession of technological developments which we now take for
granted: flushing toilets, plumbed-in baths and showers, regular postal deliveries and light
fittings capable of illuminating whole rooms at a time.
The Victorian washday
Washday was a major event in the Victorian household. Due to the hard work involved, it
was also infrequent, occurring perhaps once a month to be more economically viable. The
less frequent the washing, the more affluent a family could claim to be, as they would have
sufficient clothing to wear until next washday.
Large country houses would have a purpose-built laundry, an idea which was copied by
larger homes, such as Preston Manor. Smaller homes had to content themselves with
using the kitchen or the yard for the purpose.
Washing was done in large tubs, or bucks, made of metal or wood. In the absence of the
more popular washboard, a long wooden pole with a handlebar at the top and a conical
shape at one end, called a ‘posser’, was used to plunge and agitate the hot, soapy water
and remove dirt from the clothes. It was an unwieldy invention which required a great deal
of elbow grease to operate!
The process of washing lasted most of the day, and had to be started first thing in the
morning to ensure the clothes had time to dry before sundown.
Once the items were dry or nearly dry they were taken inside to be ironed. This was usually
done with a ‘flat’ or ‘sad’ iron, which consisted of a shaped piece of iron which had to be
heated on an open fire. As these irons did not keep their heat for long periods it was
common for households to own more than one, for use alternately.
Cooking and kitchens in Victorian times
’Dine we must and we may as well dine elegantly as well as wholesomely.’ Mrs Beeton,
1861
Kitchens in Victorian times were not full of all the conveniences most of us are used to
today. They were generally simple, plainly furnished rooms with, of course, an open fire at
their centre, and plenty of cooking utensils.
In larger households, such as Preston Manor, food preparation duties would be undertaken
by the servants.
This job was not easy. Amongst the middle and upper classes in Victorian times dinner was
becoming a very stiff and formal affair. Households went out of their way to impress guests
with extravagance and innovation. Victorian menus consisted of as many as nine courses,
though many of these were small, light dishes. Exotic ingredients, such as spices imported
from outside Europe, became all the rage. Presentation of food was also a priority for the
first time, with items like jelly moulds becoming increasingly popular.
Lighting in Victorian times
Before Thomas Edison developed the first commercially viable light bulb, in 1879, Victorian
households had to rely on other methods of lighting their homes.
The most popular of these methods was to use candles, mainly because they were cheap.
Victorian candles were usually made of molten tallow (a form of beef fat), which gave off a
strong, unpleasant smell as well as a lot of smoke. After the introduction of paraffin, in
1850, oil lamps also became a popular choice. Later, more fashionable Victorian
households started to use gas lighting within their homes. Simple gas lamps incorporated
a plain brass, copper or iron gas supply tube with a tap for switching the gas on and off,
terminating in a burner shielded from direct view by a shade or globe to diffuse the light.
You may also like to visit …

The Royal Pavilion
The Royal Pavilion was the extravagant seaside residence of King George IV. The lavish interiors
combine Chinese-style decoration with magnificent furniture and furnishings. Adorned with gilded
dragons, carved palm trees and imitation bamboo staircases, the palace's unique style mixes Asian
exoticism with English eccentricity. Daring and inventive colours feature throughout, and there are
many original items on loan from HM The Queen.
The Royal Pavilion offers independent visits and guided tours to school groups

Brighton Museum & Art Gallery
Brighton Museum & Art Gallery was originally King George IV’s riding stables. In 1873 the building
was converted into a museum, with the incorporation of a library in 1902. Brighton Museum & Art
Gallery boasts dynamic and innovative galleries that provide greatly improved access to the
museum's nationally and locally important collections. Galleries include Fashion & Style, World Art,
Performance, Body, Fine Art, Local History and 20th Century Art & Design. The museum has a
thriving temporary exhibition programme, ensuring that visitors have greater access to the
museum’s large collections, and opportunities to enjoy a broad and exciting range of art, past and
present, as well as touring exhibitions.
Independent visits and taught sessions to school groups as well as school loans can be booked.

Hove Museum & Art Gallery
Hove Museum & Art Gallery houses the most important contemporary craft collection in the South
East outside London, and one of the most significant toy collections in the UK. See the magical
Wizard's Attic where highlights include dolls, teddy bear, a working train set, a workshop for broken
toys and a bedroom split by time. There is also a Local History gallery containing the Amber Cup,
one of Britain's most important Bronze Age finds, and Fine Art, Film and Exhibition galleries.
Hove Museum & Art Gallery offers independent visits and taught sessions to school groups

The Booth Museum of Natural History
This beautiful Victorian museum is the place to see dinosaur bones, a whale skeleton, and
hundreds of species of British birds and butterflies. Feel, touch and learn about natural history in
the interactive ‘hands on’ gallery, and admire the macabre art of Victorian taxidermy in this quirky
museum.
The Booth Museum of Natural History offers independent visits and taught sessions to school
groups as well as Natural History School Loans

Preston Manor
This old Manor House evokes the atmosphere of an Edwardian gentry house both 'upstairs' and
'downstairs'. Dating from c1600, rebuilt in 1738 and substantially added to in 1905, the house and
its contents give a rare insight into life during the early years of the 20th century.
Preston Manor offers guided tours and Victorian role-play to school groups