Back to school for Dads in Hitchin - British Schools Museum opens its doors.

 Sunday the 20th of June saw the doors of the British Schools Museum, on Queen Street, open its doors for a Fathers Day Event.

The museum offered the opportunity for you to experience a lesson in the old boys school in a monitorial style or a lesson in the galleried classroom simulating the Victorian era.

The staff, who are all volunteers, were dressed according to their roles and the teachers and monitors were in costume. Once all the fathers and their guests had been assembled outside the old boys school, which was founded by William Wilshere in 1810, the lesson began in the Lancastarian schoolroom which had windows approximately six feet above the floor and boards of letters hung below them  Each reading station has a semi circular marked on the floor in front of the boards were boys stood to practice their reading and reciting. The windows were deliberately designed to be high up so that the boys were not distracted by looking out of them.

The teacher, who we were told to call Ma'am, made us all march to our desks and sit down in an organised military style fashion. Our hands were inspected for cleanliness before lessons began and those that had dirty hands had a sign placed around their necks proclaiming their failings.

Small slate boards with chalk and a cloth were supplied to all pupils and the first lesson began with spelling followed by arithmetic and reciting at the reading stations. A monitor was constantly on hand to inspect our work and instruct us when we needed to move around the classroom. The monitor was usually the best pupil of any given group.

Once the lesson was over everyone was offered the opportunity to visit the old headmasters house which has been renovated and furnished in the appropriate style. With a mangle and tin bath in the back yard and no electricity the lifestyle would have been very basic, but compared to the headmasters neighbours in Queen Street; which was called Dead Street at the time, he lived in the lap of luxury amidst appalling poverty and disease.

Tea and cake were on standby for the arrival of all the Dads to the museums coffee shop after the Lancastarian Monitorial Lesson to prepare them for round two and the lesson in the galleried classroom.

This museum is a hidden gem in the centre of Hitchin. It prides itself on being the only Lancastarian School building still in existence and is well worth a visit by both old and young alike.