Victorians

In Spring 2009 Portland Basin Museum explored life in Victorian Britain with a hands-on exhibition. ‘Victorians’ looked at themes such as school life, empire building, industry, etiquette and fashion. Rachel Cornes, Social History Curator said, “There are some beautiful objects on display from Tameside’s own collections. There are Victorian scrapbooks, lace, ceramics and samplers, many of which have not been on display for many years. The Police Museum in Manchester has kindly lent us some handcuffs, a truncheon and a whistle that would have been used by a police officer in Victorian Tameside. We’ve also included lots of hand-on fun for all ages, including a mock-up photographer’s studio where visitors can pose in Victorian costume, a wall of famous silhouettes to guess and a trail of things to spot around the exhibition."