What's happening in education at LMA
From primary school groups to mature students, lots of learners
visit LMA to find out about London’s History. Be it hospitals or
highwaymen the education team at London Metropolitan Archives have
delivered history sessions, using original documents held here, on
a wide range of topics.
If you are interested in bringing a school or study group to LMA
please contact the interpretation team on the number / email
address below. Don't forget to find out
what's going on by looking at our forthcoming events programme,
including family fun days, conferences, courses and talks.
Learning News
Over 300 young people have visited London Metropolitan Archives
already this term and with further events planned over the coming
months more young historians are set to visit the archives. From
the Theatre to the Thames, school groups have come to LMA to learn
about many aspects of the Capital’s history.
Victorian mania
In late April three year 5 classes from Morlands School,
Islington and two classes from St Aloysius School in Camden visited
the archives to find out more about Victorian London. The sessions
were designed with Keystage2 History in mind.
The groups looked at transport, work, health and poverty,
housing and education in Victorian London. They studied old
photographs, prints and documents, including a ‘dead book’ from St
Guy’s hospital. Through the session they discovered that primary
sources can tell us an awful lot about the past.
Sy Aloysius also looked at old maps to discover how their area
changed in Victoria’s reign and trade directories to find out who
lived and worked in the streets near their school.
Each class also went on a quick tour of the reference room,
reading room, conservation studio and a strong room (which one boy
commented was ‘just like Harry Potter’) to get an idea of what an
archive is and what type of work we do here.
‘All the word’s a stage’
In partnership with Sadler’s Wells Theatre, we also ran a series
of Friday morning activities based on our Theatrelands plans. The
morning included a tour of the theatre, learning a song and dance
from Marie Lloyd, Victorian music hall artiste (aka Tricia Dibb)
and art activities relating to the theatre plans.
VE Day celebrations
9 May saw the 60th anniversary of VE day and Highbury Vale and
Kingsmead schools came along to join in LMA’s celebrations. Pupils
got the chance to find out what it was like at the end of the war
as, Forces favourite, ‘Louisa Stanfield’ aka Tricia Dibb, our
wartime entertainer lead them through 1945. There were bomb damage
maps, photographs of evacuees, lots of posters from the archives
and Louisa taught the children some favourite wartime tunes to
which they could sing along.
Many rivers to cross
St Mary’s Primary School also revisited LMA this term in a quest
to find out about London’s rivers. The river Thames obviously
featured quite heavily in their research; however we also surprised
them with information about the underground Fleet, which still
flows in a sewer not far from the archive.
In the classroom
As well as holding sessions at London Metropolitan Archives the
interpretation team can come and deliver hand-tailored sessions to
your school. This term we’re going to Great Ormond Street Hospital
to deliver a practical session on Tudor London. The children will
be learning how to make lavender bags and create some (mock) Tudor
wax seals.
Also, carrying on the Victorian theme, we’re off to near –by
Prior Western School to give a presentation on Charles Dickens’
London.
Ongoing events
After school fun
The After School History Club — a group of children from nearby
Clerkenwell Parochial School, visit LMA every Wednesday during term
time to learn about London’s past.
Over the coming months, weather permitting, we are hoping to get
out and about to explore the history of the local area. First,
we’ll be walking the route Oliver Twist took into London as he
followed the Artful Dodger to Fagin’s House. The group will then
look at some of the themes that concerned Dickens such as poverty
and education in the Victorian Metropolis. We’ll also be looking at
Clerkenwell’s criminal past with a walk taking in the Sessions
House, the site of Cold Bath Fields Prison and Clerkenwell House of
Detention. The club has already put their artistic skills to the
test with a session, planned by our very artistic volunteer, on art
and the archives. The year five pupils recently worked on a project
over a period of five weeks. They produced a newspaper article, of
extremely high quality, on an historic building in their local
area
In your own backyard
Look at the history of your local area and discover what changes
have taken place using our maps, plans, photographs, prints and
records.
LMA Education
and Interpretation Team
40 Northampton Road
London EC1R 0HB
Call 020 7332 3851 or
Email
ask.lma@cityoflondon.gov.uk