PUPILS took a step back in time to learn all about a bygone era.

Youngsters from Snape Community Primary School visited the Long Shop Museum in Leiston for a Victorian Day.

In the role of apprentices they performed lots of different activities including using various dyes, casting pieces of machinery out of plaster of Paris and making nail boxes out of wood.

They also traced detailed drawings of steam engines, tried their hand at copy writing, cleaned some brass and copper and learnt how to set a dinner table for important guests.

They also had a special visit from Elizabeth Garrett Anderson, Millicent Garrett Fawcett and Richard Garrett himself, while the suffragettes made an appearance to promote women’s rights. Union bosses also arrived to persuade the apprentices to join their cause.

Angela Skinner, headteacher at Snape, said: “The children really enjoyed themselves. It was a great way for them to learn about local history. We have been learning all about Victorian times – the railways, the Great Exhibition, the Empire and the popular characters – and this was a fantastic way to bring it all to life.

“Our school was also built by Richard Garrett III’s nephews and nieces, so it made it even more interesting.”