The 1920s Life of the Porter Children, Ella and Hazel

Discover what life was like for the children, Ella and Hazel, particularly during the 1920s.

Experience a world of non-plastic toys. Tin-plate mechanical toys are a favourite and probably date from before 1914. See early dolls made from wood and cloth and recall the changes from cloth to pre-plastics, early celluloid and the more modern soft plastics.

The museum's school magazines, photographs, reports, certificates and prizes paint a fascinating picture of school life in this time. Visitors can turn the pages of the replicas of many of these and learn about how they were taught, learnt to draw and write suitable poems. Young visitors can compare their own school times with those of Ella and Hazel and check how their classrooms and reports differ.

Come and have fun with the Porter children; with not a Barbie in sight!