One bright sunny morning, Hungerford Arcade had a phone call from Heather O'Connor a teacher at the Downsway Primary School, Tilehurst, Reading, asking if she could organise a trip to the Arcade for sixty 4 to 6 year old pupils from the school. The primary purpose of the visit was to teach the children history by letting them see objects from the past and explaining what they were used for. Also, many of the children had never been on a train before so the first thing for them to do was to arrive at Hungerford by train which was a brilliant start to their day! Then of course, the Arcade being no stranger to school visits gladly welcomed the children. Led by Mrs. Blackwell, the group listened to a short story about the origins and importance of the building, from a historic point of view, not to mention the rumours of ghostly goings on amongst the centuries old timbers of the Arcade. The children had a lovely time exploring the nooks and crannies, discovering soldiers up on the rafters and model planes swooping from the ceilings. A large congregation of 6 year olds didn’t move from the model cars and steam engines until it was time for them to move on. Of course, the Arcade could not let them leave without a small gift to take home and place in their treasure boxes and scrapbooks. Each child received a pouch containing an old English coin and a slip explaining what the coin is and what it would be worth in today's money! Heather said,"the children absolutely loved the Arcade. It brought history to life for them!"
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Foundation Year 1 Pupils supported by:
Donni Blackwell
Katina Mowl
and, of course, our very own Adrian
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