Salford museum has opened its doors to present ‘A Christmas Visit’, as a welcome back after a year of restrictions.

The Salford Museum and Art Gallery is hosting a free event in order to show what a typical Victorian street would look like at Christmas.

Caroline Doyle, headteacher at St Sebastian’s Primary School, said: “For our children in particular, we come from quite a deprived area of Salford, so it’s about having those real-life experiences”

The structures used in the construction are genuine buildings from the era, and were rescued by A. Frape, the director at the time, when Victorian buildings were being demolished in the 50s.

Caroline said: “A lot of these children don’t have the money or the means to get out of their local area, so for me, as the headteacher, this is really important.

“It’s brilliant, they can experience everything so visually”.

The Year 6 children at St Sebastian’s are currently reading Charles Dickens’: ‘A Christmas Carol’. They came to the museum to understand how different life would have been in Victorian times, and were tasked with writing lists of what they could see, but also what they heard and felt.

Caroline said: “A few children are actually scared.

“It’s not the shopping malls they’re used to – this is what a high street would have looked like.”

With Christmas prices higher than ever, this free event is creating an accessible experience for everyone.

Tickets for the Victorian Christmas experience are available here, with donations being put towards new exhibits being put on display on a changing exhibits programme.

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