WHAT better way to enrich our Year 1 King’s Ely Acremont Pre-Prep pupils’ topic on ‘Victorian Childhood Adventures’ than with a visit to Audley End House and Gardens!
Mrs Monk’s and Mrs Black’s classes visited the stately home, located near Saffron Walden, on May 24th. They said: “We decided to visit Audley End House so that we could immerse ourselves into what a Victorian family and household would have been like. The house was built during Jacobean times, however much of the interior has been frozen in time during the 1800s, courtesy of the Braybrooke family.
“On arrival, the children visited the service buildings, including the laundry, the dairy and the kitchens. They were fascinated by the methods of washing clothes, including using the dolly-stick and the mangle, and commented that there was no electricity so it all had to be powered by hand. In the dairy they spotted the butter paddles or ‘Scotch hands’ used to shape the freshly made butter.
“Later in the day a highlight was visiting the nursery in the main house, where the children had the opportunity to dress up in clothing that the Braybrooke children might have worn. They were also allowed to try several toys that Victorian children would have played with, including a large dolls house.
“We also took a stroll around the beautiful grounds and visited the walled kitchen gardens, where there were a large variety of fruit and vegetables. The children spotted asparagus growing in one of the large beds, which was a first for some of them. It looked very strange with individual sticks pointing out of the ground!
“At lunchtime, we managed to dodge a brief rain shower and ate our packed lunches in the open air in the courtyard. As ever, the children were a real credit to the school and were very respectful of the many precious artefacts on show in the house.”
Every day is an adventure at King’s Ely Acremont Pre-Prep. Our dynamic and creative curriculum is supported by carefully planned trips, visits from experts and new and innovative technology, all of which really help bring the children’s learning to life.