We had a fantastic visit to Beamish. We experienced what it would have been like to learn in a Victorian classroom in 1897; the children were surprised at the strictness of the teacher, as they had to work in silence and refer to him as ‘Sir’. The lesson consisted of chanting the 12 times table; written calculations with pounds, shillings and pence; handwriting practice and using chalks to draw objects.

We also explored the 1900s town and the pit village. The staff at Beamish were amazingly knowledgeable and helped to bring the history to life.