THE strict orders from a Victorian schoolmaster echoed around the classroom at Sevington School over the weekend as visitors were transported back in time for a history lesson.

Dozens of families were given the immersive history lesson on Sunday as part of the school’s open day events, where members of the community are encouraged to live through history and enjoy their weekends in a different way.

“We usually host schools in the area and give them an immersive experience,” one of the trustees Dinah Starkey said. “We have wanted to open that into the wider community and recently we have been hosting our open days to do just that.

“We were delighted with how it went on Sunday considering the weather and I just love seeing groups and families spending time in the parlour, enjoying tea and playing.

“When they enter the classroom we make them stand up straight and have them present their nails and their shoes so they can be inspected and then they are asked to pay their teacher with a penny.

“They then move on to things like writing, elocution and verbal gymnastics.

“We also get some of our older visitors to do some mental arithmetic and they are fantastic at it - and sometimes quicker than us!”

The school, which has been running for the last five years, will be hosting its next open day on August 13 from 2-5pm.

Antique Roadshow fans are also invited to attend the school’s auction day where Marc Allum and Lisa Lloyd will be examining objects on August 19 from 2-5pm.