Interesting Victorians....Trying to Encourage 9 Year Old's Curiosity

[PleaseYourselfandEatTheCrusts]

This is my first time posting on this part of Mumsnet. My 9 year old is interested in history at the moment. This is something I want to encourage. I was thinking of doing my own kind of makeshift project about the Victorians, over the summer.

I just wondered what you would include in this? Are there any really interesting Victorians you really feel I should teach him about?

I am just starting to get interesting in history too. As a child, I dropped history at school at age 12. My dad liked history, and my mum discouraged me from getting interested in it because it reminded her of my dad too much. I feel like there is so my out there for me to learn and I am loving reading the History club board.

I would really appreciate all your ides.

I used to like museums like York Castle Museum or the Victorian part of Flambards when I was younger. Also the Ironbridge Gorge Museum. The Victorian school room at the Way We Were at Wigan Pier was great in the 80s, sadly now gone. I think kids get a real feel for the era when they can see objects in the settings they were used in.

There's some terrific pieces on TrowelBlazers about Victorian era geologists, archaeologists (like Gertrude Bell), and the palaeontologist Mary Anning (as mentioned above by pp).

Good luck with your researches into Horrible Histories!

https://trowelblazers.com/

Any steam railways near you? They're an exciting way to talk about how Victorians opened up the world, from linking parts of the country to empire and trade etc.

Some nice series like Cranford and lark rise to candleford could contrast with urban Victorian Dickens etc.

Reading - get her into Edward Lear and Alice in wonderland.

Also you're dead to me podcast on bbc sounds has a home school
History companion

I never knew this section existed. OP see if you can find some DVDs by Fred Dibnah, he's dead now, but he explains some of the industrial revolution stuff, builds his own machines etc.

Guy Jones on YouTube has some Victorian street scenes captured on film. Markets, workers leaving factories, well-to-do people etc.

They played a video as you were waiting to go in the school room at The Way We Were. It was filmed at my primary school as the building and playground was Victorian and my brother was in it. I remember him spending hours mastering a spinning top in the back garden as they were all given various toys of the era to play.

There's also the Industrial Revolution which was part of the Victorian Era, some of the Mill Riots are famous and there's a museum in East Lancashire dedicated to the textile era.

The Black Country museum is a great day out if you can get to the Midlands.

Thanks

Samuel Plimsoll

I was going to suggest here.

There a "victorians" episode of the excellent BBC series Back in Time for School and the sister series Back in Time for the Corner Shop. Neither are currently on iplayer but there are clips in those links. If you can find the full episodes anywhere (YouTube?) they are well worth a watch.

Also - find out about the history of your local Victorian buildings and structures - bridges, railways, hospitals, schools, train stations, town/city halls are all possible contenders.

... also museums and universities are possible Victorian buildings. And churches. And houses!

If you're in West Yorks, Huddersfield, Bradford and Leeds all have industrial museums drawing on their Victorian history.

Colne Valley Museum, Huddersfield
Leeds Industrial Museum
Bradford Industrial Museum - and if you are visiting this part of the world there is also the World Heritage Site Saltaire Village (the wiki description of "model village" means "social model", not "scale model").

Slightly further afield Sheffield has
Abbeydale Industrial Hamlet and The Kelham Island Museum

And there's Quarry Bank in Wilmslow

Good luck! I hated history at school, but DS (nearly 15) has loved it all his life and I'm enjoying finding out the stuff I missed.

I have family near Huddersfield, so that's good to know.

Thanks for all these suggestions.