Sharpe's Pottery enjoys a royal lesson

Sharpe's Pottery Museum in Swadlincote, Derbyshire achieved a double first recently as it hosted its first school visit and a visit by HRH Duke of Kent.

The new school resources were developed as part of MLA East Midlands' coordinated Strategic Commissioning programme. The resources offer a day of activities at the museum and are based on the life of a Victorian potter, providing children with a valuable insight into local history and lives of the past.

The Duke of Kent, the Queen's cousin, was visiting south Derbyshire and called into Sharpe's Pottery where he was shown round by the chairman of the museum's Heritage and Arts Trust, John Oake. He saw the importance of Victorian potteries in improving sanitation and health and visited the Bottle Kiln.

Accompanied by Mark Todd MP, the Duke of Kent was also greeted by students from Swandlincote's Belmont Primary School, who were dressed as Victorian children with flat caps and aprons and were trying out the new school resources. The children had been using the new facilities to explore the roles that children played in the Victorian pottery factory.

Both visits were a great success for the museum, which is looking forward to welcoming many more children from local schools.