As part of their Local History Topic: Newcastle at War, Year 6 pupils visited the Victoria Tunnel at the Ouseburn, Newcastle. There, the children were split into two groups to take part in two activities: a classroom workshop and a guided tour through the tunnel.
During the classroom workshop, children were given the opportunity to experience what it was like as a child living during WWII including evacuation and rationing. The children enjoyed experiencing artefacts from the war, and hearing first hand stories from people who lived in Newcastle during that time.
The children were also given a guided tour of the Victoria Tunnel, which was used as an air-raid shelter during the war. Having originally been built in the 1800’s to transport coal down to the River Tyne, and being 23 metres underground, it was the perfect place for families to shelter from bombing if they didn’t have a shelter in their house or garden.
Take a look at the pictures below:
