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Victorian School Trips

Life in the Victorian era

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How can schools book Victorian era visits in the UK?

Victorian trips include workhouses and inventions - exploring empire, reform, and daily life.

Take a look back at the Victorian period that lasted from 1837 until 1901; the reign of Queen Victoria I. This period was relatively peaceful and saw the country continue to prosper economically from the Industrial Revolution. A relatively recent period of our history, your class can learn about the Victorians through a number of popular workshop topics.

Give your class an authentic Victorian day with school lessons that take them back in time to the late 1800s to experience what their ancestors would have known. From strict maths and science lessons to playground games and toys. On a Victorian school trip, you may wish to visit a museum dedicated to the industrial revolution such as the factories and mills that produced goods like cotton.

Or take a closer look at Victorian crime and punishment - how the justice system worked and prisoners were treated. The Victorians was a time of great inventions, social reform, but also extremes of wealth and poverty.

Learn about significant individuals and their contributions, famous Victorians such as Florence Nightingale, Ada Lovelace, and the suffragettes. For those studying English, the works of Charles Dickens, writing in the Victorian period, bring together many of the above themes.

Whatever your topic, we have lots of in-school Victorian workshops for school groups at all Key Stages.

Find a school trip or workshop for the following Victorian topics: Charles Dickens, Childhood and Schools, Crime and Punishment, Factories and The Workhouse, Florence Nightingale, Industrial Revolution, Inventions, Queen Victoria, Railways, Suffragettes, Toys, Victorian Seaside, and more.

Want to book Victorian trips and workshops?

Find a Victorian experience for your next school trip




Popular school trip June 2026 !

Stone Farm Study Centre

location icon South West
apple iconFarm, Geography, Environmental Geography, Physical Geography, History, Victorian, Outdoor Learning, Physical Education, Seaside, Watersports


Bring history to life for your children at Morwellham Quay, a restored 19th-century village set on the River Tamar. Visitors can explore the restored 19th-century village, the docks and quays, a restored ship, and the George and Charlotte copper mine which is toured by a small train, plus engage in ...

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Greenwich museum in london
London for Primary & Middle Schools-Curriculum Travel
map pin London & South East

London, historically serving as the epicenter of the world's largest empire, was not only renowned for its imperial grandeur but also infamous for the atmospheric challenges it faced. The cityscape of...
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Victorian school master ringing a bell
Victorian School Experience Day
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In our Victorian School Experience Day your pupils will step back in time, into a Victorian Classroom where they will roleplay a class of children from 150 years ago. They will meet a very strict...
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children in a classroom being show how toys are made
Toy Making Experience Days
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Throughout the Victorian era, children's accessibility to toys grew. However, the nurseries of the rich had far fewer toys than many children today, as for the poorer of society, some children only...
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actor dressed as a strict victorian school master
Victorians
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The day is divided into 3 sessions. 1. A talk about the Victorians, how they came to be, Queen Victoria herself, the Industrial revolution, money, farming, cities etc. The children design their own...
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suffragettes banner reading deeds not words
Suffragettes Workshop
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We will explore elements of what it was like to live during the Victorian Era, especially as a Suffragist from the 1890s and debate the changes brought about by The Industrial Revolution and what Queen Victoria thought about Women's Rights!
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view of middleport pottery museum from the canal
Middleport Pottery
map pin West Midlands

History and creativity come together in the last continuously operating Victorian pottery in the UK. From tours around the still working factory, which produces its ware on original machinery and the...
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school group being shown food ingredients
The Food Museum
map pin East of England

Enrich your pupils' understanding of the Victorian era with this Farm Labourer Learning Session. This session will explore the roles that children had in rural life. The session starts with a fun...
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children being shown artefacts at a history workshop
Outreach
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We can cover a number of different topics from the Victorian period linked to the history of the Castle. From the Castle's use as a Sunday School in the 1800s we can look at Victorian classroom life,...
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camping tents on the isle of wight
Low Cost Isle of Wight Accommodation with Education Destination
map pin London & South East

Education Destination welcomes thousands of students of all ages to the Isle of Wight and Dorset each year. We can offer your group accommodation at all budget levels, from low-cost camping & dormitories to luxury resort hotels.
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accommodation at cumulus outdoors
Cumulus Outdoors Residential Centre - Swanage
map pin South West

Explore your Victorians topic with a day trip to the Victorian seaside town of Swanage (dressing up is encouraged). Visits can include visiting; Swanage Heritage Centre, Swanage Steam Railway, Swanage...
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school planetarium show
Immersive Experiences
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The Victorians changed the world and life was tough for some but easy for others. We look at what the daily routine was for people of all classes, as well as occupations and their hazards! Find out with our immersive and live-action workshops.
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KS1 child with a magnifying glass on a bug hunt
Day Visits
map pin London & South East

The WaterWorks Discovery Day brings local Victorian history to life. Children will learn about the water cycle in Victorian London and how Essex Filter Beds played a part in the filtration process. These beds are now a wildlife nature reserve which is a great place to see nature in London.
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Isle of Wight - The Island Classroom History Trips with Education Destination
Isle of Wight - The Island Classroom History Trips with Education Destination
map pin London & South East

Victorian Britain Themed school trips to the Isle of Wight The Isle of Wight has a big claim to fame when it comes to the Victorian period - we are home to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert's holiday...
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actor dressed as a Victorian
A Victorian Christmas
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During this workshop, we explore the Victorian era, particularly the wide social gap between rich and poor.
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Victorian history workshop in a school hall
Victorian Workshop
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The History of the Crystal Palace, being the forerunner of all modern skyscraper building. Why Prince Albert had the idea and how it was realised by Joesph Paxton are all discussed within the realms...
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school class dressed up as victorian children
Victorian Workshop & Wow Day
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Dan Tastic Education brings knights, castles, turrets & towers to life with an in school Victorian England Workshop & Wow Day experience that works as the perfect topic hook for your pupils! Forget...
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Image for a residential school trip in Dorset KS2 KS3 KS4
Cumulus Outdoors Tented Village - Corfe Castle
map pin South West

Explore your victorians topic with a day trip to the victorian seaside town of Swanage (dressing up is encouraged). Visits can include visiting; Swanage Heritage Centre, Swanage Steam Railway, Swanage...
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military aeroplane at cosford raf base
Cosford Exhibition-Cold War
map pin West Midlands

Explore the rich history of the Victorian era with Battlefield & History Tours, where we offer meticulously planned and educational trips for school groups. As a division of Rondo Travel, an...
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steam train
Isle of Wight for Primary & Middle Schools-Curriculum Travel
map pin London & South East

Embark on a captivating journey back to the Victorian era with our Isle of Wight educational tours, designed specifically for Primary and Middle Schools. Our curriculum-focused travel package offers a...
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a medieval sword fight re-enactment
Victorian Historical Experiences
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Step back into Victorian Britain through immersive 360° dome experiences, VR adventures, and interactive workshops that bring history to life inside your school. In this workshop, students explore...
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Victorians School Trips - Frequently Asked Questions

6 March 2026

Why choose Victorian trips?
Victorian trips are a great way to explore a fascinating period of change - think workhouses, inventions, and all the innovations that shaped modern life. It ties into the curriculum on the 19th century and is especially relatable through the lens of trains and transportation.

Victorian workshop or day trip visit?
We offer workshops for life that cost between £150 and £400, perfect for bringing history alive. For a more authentic experience, we recommend visiting actual sites, especially for Year 5, to give students a real sense of the era.

Are there any free Victorian options?
Absolutely! Many museums and galleries are free to visit, and local stations can be a great way to experience Victorian transport without extra cost.

What are the top 10 Victorian school trips?
Here's a quick list:

1. Black Country Museum
2. In-school Victorian workshops
3. Quarry Bank Mill
4. British Museum (Victorian section, free)
5. Ironbridge
6. National Railway Museum
7. Scottish Victorian sites
8. Welsh workhouses
9. Local museums
10. History festivals

Are Victorian trips suitable for SEND students?
Yes, many sites offer costumes and workshops that can be adapted to different needs. Many use role-play and other sensitive approaches to make sure everyone can participate and enjoy the experience.

What’s the budget for a Victorian trip?
If you're just doing museums and local transport, it can be quite affordable: around £3 to £10 per child. Entry to sites usually costs between £5 and £15, workshops from £150 to £400, and residential trips range from about £120 to £250 per child. It’s quite budget-friendly overall.

Empire, social class and the working poor

Explore the Victorian era through school trips to museums and historical sites. We have lots of day trip ideas such as, York Castle Museum, which offers insights into Victorian attitudes towards crime and punishment, while the National Railway Museum and Coal Mining Museum provide a deeper understanding of Britain's industrial progress during this period, together with the great advances in transportation from canals to railways. Visiting these locations allows students to engage with artifacts from the period and learn about key aspects of Victorian society from industrialisation and the concept of the workhouse, to advances in public health when fighting diseases like cholera.

School trips to local Victorian landmarks and heritage towns provide context to Victorian life. Trips to seaside resorts like Cromer or Swanage help students learn about Victorian tourism, architecture, and industry. Visits to historic houses like Osborne House or castles such as Raby Castle reveal insights into Victorian domestic life and aristocratic society. These outings offer out of the classroom learning, giving your children a new way of learning about Victorian culture, leisure, and technological progress across different regions of Britain.

During in-school workshops, children can participate in hands-on sessions like Victorian classrooms, where they will use slates and experience strict discipline. They could explore Victorian inventions, famous Victorians like Florence Nightingale or Queen Victoria herself, or role-play activities such as costumes and dressing up as Victorian workers or engaging in Victorian games. Try your hand at Victorian toy making or drama performances.

Victorian workshop activities will help your students understand the daily life, social class differences, and technological advances that made the Victorians notable. The engaging workshop experiences above have been designed for children of all key stages.

Day in the Life of a Victorian Child


By Emily, Year 5

A Victorian workshop came to visit and turned our classroom into a school from the 1800s. For a whole day, we got to go back in time and dress up like people from the Victorian days. I didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did, but it ended up being one of the best school days ever.

When we walked into the classroom in the morning, it looked totally different to normal. The desks had been moved into neat rows, there were slates on our desks and even our teacher had dressed up like a very strict schoolmistress. The person doing the workshop was dressed as a real Victorian teacher and he didn't smile at all. He told us that Victorian children had to be silent, sit up straight, and only speak when spoken to. And we had to stand up every time an adult entered the room!

We were split into boys and girls and we weren't allowed to sit together - just like in a real Victorian school. The boys practised handwriting and maths, and the girls learned sewing and posture. We also got to write on the slates with chalk. I found it tricky at first because I'm used to pencils and paper but it was fun to try something different. My hands were covered in chalk dust by the end of the lesson.

The most interesting part of the workshop was learning about how hard life was for children back then. We learned that some children our age didn't even go to school as the had to work in dangerous factories or as chimney sweeps instead of going to school. I felt quite shocked. Some even worked in coal mines where it was dark and dirty all day. It made me feel really lucky to go to school now rather than more than a hundred years ago.

We also looked at real Victorian toys, school books, and washing tools. I couldn't believe that children used to play with spinning tops and rag dolls made from scraps of fabric. They didn't have video games or iPads or anything with electricity - there was not even electricity in some houses! This was definitely my favourite lesson and I would say if my friends in another class gets the chance to do a Victorian workshop they should do it! You'll learn loads, and it's a brilliant way to learn about life for the Victorian children.


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