PENS and paper were abandoned for a day as Furness youngsters dressed up to try their hand at the chores of the Victorian age.

The Mail, on March 16 in 1999, showed youngsters at Victoria Infant School, Barrow, having fun while learning about how hard life could be in the good old days.

The school, in Oxford Street, was opened in 1917 and saw its playground used for traditional play activities such as skipping and hopscotch.

However there was still plenty of time to find out about how to use washing implements such as a posser, or dolly-legs.

They get clothes clean in the days before washing machines.

Youngsters could also try their hand at using an old fashioned mangle to get excess water out of freshly-washed clothes and then get the creases out on the ironing board.

There was also the opportunity to dress as a chimney sweep and imagine what it might have been like to sent up the chimney in a large house before this dangerous activity was outlawed.