CHILDREN stepped back in time for a taste of Victorian life as Stroud's Museum in the Park.

The Year 5 pupils met ten different characters from Victorian Stroud, portrayed by actors John Bassett and Kim Baker of the Spaniel in the Works Theatre Company.

The youngsters, from Park Junior School, Stonehouse, saw a poor weaver, a nurse dealing with an outbreak of smallpox, an engineer explaining the wonders of his inventions and both a passenger and worker on the newly-opened railway.

Wearing historical dress, they experienced a lesson in a Victorian classroom, learned about the Victorians' interest in collecting, and examined the census records for their area in Victorian times.

Later, they reported back on all they had discovered, linking local events into a timeline of national events in Queen Victoria's reign.

After seeing examples of photography from the era, the pupils posed for their own picture.

Class teacher Neil Cuddihy said the event, which took place last Thursday, November 9, had been both fun and educational.

"We will be able to use the information we have collected from these characters, in our project, back at school," he said.

A Snapshot of Victorian Life is the latest package to be developed for schools at the Museum in the Park. Teachers should contact Ann Taylor, the museum's learning officer, for further details.