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School visits at the National Museum of Costume

Clothes - they can carry a cultural or social meaning and can define a decade, or even a time of day!

Follow the story of fashion from the 1870s to the 1950s at historic Shambellie House, set in beautiful wooded grounds near Dumfries - an ideal destination for art and design students or even a school picnic!

From strait-laced Victorian dress to wartime Utility wear, put your pupils in the shoes of the people who wore the trends of their time. What was life like for a Victorian school child? Find out first hand when you step back in time at the National Museum of Costume.

• Explore the fashions of the past through real and replica costume

What do we offer schools at the National Museum of Costume?

• Free admission for all pre-booked school groups
• Opportunities for students to use the historic collections for further study
• Bookable lunchroom (November - February), toilets, museum shop
• Download our free teachers' resources to accompany your visit to National Museum of Costume.

How to book - it couldn't be easier!

Your school visit should be booked in advance. Telephone 0131 247 4041 or email schools@nms.ac.uk

Cost

Admission to all our museums is free for all pre-booked school groups. The cost for workshops and activities is £2 per pupil, unless otherwise stated.

Maximum group size

Sessions are for one class (33 pupils) unless otherwise stated. Groups need to be split into smaller groups for Victorian School Lesson (16-18 pupils).

Cancellations

If you need to cancel please give as much notice as possible. We may have to charge an administration fee if you cancel within three weeks of your planned visit.

What we need to know

• Name and address of school
• School telephone number
• Name of group leader
• Name and age of pupils
• Number of adults (ration 1 adult: 10 children)
• Preferred dates for your visit
• Packed lunch / cloakroom requirements

What can schools expect from their visit?

This report was written by Brihannon, a P5 pupil at Springfield School, who visited the National Museum of Costume to find out what a Victorian school might have been like.

P1-4 Visit to Shambellie House

P1-4 went to Shambellie to visit a Victorian School.

Miss Brown and Mrs Burgess accompanied them. Everybody got changed into Victorian costumes, the boys wore a sailor suit and the girls wore a white dress, an apron and a bonnet.

The teacher was very strict she had her hair tied up and carried a cane and the belt was used to hit pupils. There was a dunce’s cap and if you were in trouble you had to stand in a corner and wear the hat with a big D on it.

In the classroom we sat in rows on benches. We used the ink pots and slates to write on. There was no talking. The teacher called everyone by their surname and the pupils called the teacher Ma’am.

The museum had different rooms. There were lots of clothes from long ago. Mrs Burgess thought the wallpaper was very drab.

We saw the bell system used to summon the maids.

P1-4 found the visit very interesting but would not like to be in a Victorian School.