PUPILS at Anchorsholme Primary School, in Blackpool, have been experiencing Hard Times recently as they spent a day in Victorian costume, like characters straight out of a Charles Dickens novel.

Year 2 pupils went to school on February 16 in typical Victorian dress and had their lessons in the style of the period to well and truly bring the subject of history to life.

Irene Ellacott, school bursar for Anchorsholme Primary, said classes Four, Five and Six have recently been studying the Victorians and she thought this would be a fun and fitting end to the topic.

She said: "We had the boys wearing collar-less shirts with waistcoats and flat caps and the girls wore pinafores, aprons and bonnets. They really looked the part and seemed to enjoy it, too. We also did away with exercise books and ball point pens and reverted to the old chalk and slate to make it just like an authentic Victorian lesson."

Pictured are pupils Rebecca Hoddinott, 7, and Krystina Dacre, 6.