Our School Through Time

"The best thing about the future is that it's always starting."

Charles Dickens

This term's cross-curricular project will develop the children's skills in the following curriculum areas:

ROOTS: Skills of Enquiry and Communication, Knowledge and understanding in becoming informed Citizens

TRUNK: Communication and Language, Questioning, Investigating, Drawing Conclusions, Presenting, Media

CROWN: Creative Arts & Design, Techniques and Materials, Designs, Research, Events, People and Places, Reasons for Events, Changes in Society, Representation of Sources

Project Goal

To create bespoke, historical 'then and now' plaques to identify, celebrate and honour our rich historical school site and its buildings

Steps to Success

What was Morden Lodge, and what was life like when it was built?
How was life at Morden Lodge different from other homes?
How did the River Wandle and local mills shape life in Morden?
How did inventions like gas lamps, steam power, and railways change life in Morden?
How can we share what we’ve learned about Morden Lodge and the history of the site?

Following our last action-packed project, 'Above and Below the Earth,' we briefly touched on the Industrial Revolution and some major themes. The Chiff-Chaffs have decided to pay close attention to this period, but with a special lens on our beautiful site, its buildings, and the surrounding area.

What was Morden Lodge before it became Liberty Woodland School?

When was it built, and who lived here?

As you can see... There is much to be discovered!

The short but busy term will explore our Morden Lodge school building, emphasising the Industrial Revolution and the Victorian period, their impact on homes, daily life, inventions and discoveries. We aim to identify and learn about our school site and its buildings before curating plaques to celebrate its rich history while improving its aesthetics.

The Chiff-Chaffs will learn through inquiry-based activities, reading source material, using technology, and speaking with local historians. They will also use their creative expression to design the plaques, culminating in a...

"Morden Lodge—Then & Now" Exhibition.

Questions to consider at home

What was life like at Morden Lodge during the Industrial Revolution?
How did the Industrial Revolution change how people lived and worked in Morden?
How did new inventions during the Industrial Revolution change homes and daily life?
What was daily life like for children and families living during this time?

Meeting a local historian

Step 1: What was Morden Lodge, and what was life like when it was built?

We are meeting a local historian on Thursday, 7th May. We are excited to meet Peter from Merton Historical Society, who will visit our school and give us insight into its historical past and buildings.

We are looking forward to learning more about Morden lodge, the tables, the gatehouse and Ivy Lodge too. This will help us understand our site's historical past and plan how we can represent this history on our site for parents, guests and visitors to enjoy for years to come.

An artist's impression of Morden Lodge from the 1800s

Morden Lodge as a private house in 1995

The snuff mill in Morden Hall Park dates back to the 1870s. It was once owned by Gilliat Hatfeild, a resident of Morden Lodge.

Peter came to visit - Merton Historical Society

Step 1: What was Morden Lodge, and what was life like when it was built?

Step 2: How was life at Morden Lodge different from other homes?

We first thought of some questions we would like to ask Peter as part of our research into our school site and its buildings

Peter took us on a historical tour of our school site. We learned that the oldest recorded building on our site was a cottage, dating back to 1225!

We looked closely at the huge fireplace and original bread oven in Ivy Lodge. Did you know that Ivy Lodge was a coachhouse, and the fireplace was the central hub of the building to keep warm and enjoy some warm food after a long day of travel by horse and carriage

Our Art studio used to be the stables for Morden Lodge and still has many of the original features: the floor, stairs, stables, and cast iron boot cleaners, to name a few. This building used to have a coach driver named Percy, who lived and slept upstairs above the horses.

Researching our school site and its buildings

Step 1: What was Morden Lodge, and what was life like when it was built?

Step 2: How was life at Morden Lodge different from other homes?

We have been busy researching our school site's history and buildings. We have been working in teams of three to undercover the hidden history behind Morden Lodge, Ivy, The Stables, Pergola, and The Fruit House/Well

We have been refining our note-taking skills whilst using Chromebooks and iPads to find relevant and pertinent information

We have enjoyed using this book to further learn about the 'Powerful Victorians'.

It was great to make the short trip to the Snuff Mill in Morden Hall Park. We could see and touch Industrial Revolution history, from the grinding stones to the giant cast cogs. We spent some time understanding and creating a diagram of the Snuff Mill, and how it utilised the power of the river Wandle

Visiting the Snuff Mill and Morden Hall Park

Step 3: How did the River Wandle and local mills shape life in Morden?

Drafting our school buidling plaques

Step 5: How can we share what we’ve learned about Morden Lodge and the history of the site?

Morden Lodge - 1st draft

Our project is a collaborative effort, and we have been using our research to draft and create our school plaques. We hope to have these plaques cast and added to the school site and its buildings, a testament to our collective work. We are trying to stick to a maximum word count of 55-60 words, which has been a great challenge and has ensured we refine and maximise the information within our final drafts.

We have taken inspiration from the historical and heritage plaques that you can find across the U.K

Fruit house and Well

A plaque we found at the Snuff Mill

Ivy Lodge - 1st draft

The Stables - first draft

The Pergola - first draft

Here are some questions to research ahead of our visit

What is a 'ragged school'?What do you think a school day was like for Victorian children at the Ragged School?
Why do you think the Ragged School was important for children who lived in London a long time ago?
What would you like to find out about the games, lessons, or jobs Victorian children did when you visit the museum?

Upcoming Trip!

Ragged School Museum

We are looking forward to going to East London to visit and experience school life at the Ragged School in Mile End.

Here is the Ragged School Museum website

Update - 12.06.2025

How does education in Victorian times compare to our education at LWS?

Here are some questions to discuss after our visit

Who founded the Ragged School Museum in Copperfield Lane (the one we visited)?
What does the term 'ragged' mean?
How did Victorian learning and lessons compare to our way of learning at LWS?
What was your favourite part of the trip, and why?

Click through the slide show opposite to see some pictures from our trip to the Ragged School Museum in Mile End.

Today, the Chiff-Chaffs went on an exciting adventure to the Ragged School Museum in Mile End! We bravely took on the busy Northern Line, made a quick switch at Bank Station, and popped out of the ground just a short walk from the museum. On our way to our picnic, we followed clues on a fun little treasure hunt. Then it was time to relax and enjoy our tasty lunches in the sunshine. After that, we strolled along the beautiful Regent’s Canal and even spotted a family of fluffy geese! At the museum, we left our bags behind and climbed the creaky old stairs—straight back in time to the year 1895! There, we met our strict Victorian teacher, Miss Perkins, who showed us what a school day was like for children over 100 years ago. We practiced handwriting on slates, recited money facts and spellings, and drew symmetrical butterflies. Miss Perkins kept us on our toes! When we returned to the present day, she told us all about some of the harsh rules from back then—like the cane and the dreaded ‘dunce’ hat. Luckily, schools today are much kinder! Before heading home, we explored downstairs and saw some amazing old objects, including a big mangle used to dry clothes and Dr. Barnardo’s very own desk and clock. The Chiff-Chaffs did an amazing job navigating London’s hustle and bustle like pros. We’re sure they’ll all sleep well tonight (and the parents too!). A huge thank you to all our brilliant parent helpers—you made a huge difference. Thank you!

Experience Morning

Step 1. What was Morden Lodge, and what was life like when it was built?

Step 2. How was life at Morden Lodge different from other homes?

Thank you to all the parents who joined us on Wednesday, 6th June, for our first-ever 'experience morning' at LWS.

It was an absolute pleasure to have you come and join our morning meeting and project session. I hope these gave you a little insight into your child's day and experience in Year 2, and more broadly, within the LWS community.

We would love to invite all parents back again (if possible) to help us continue crafting, sculpting, and creating our scale model of Morden Lodge from the 1800s. Do please let me know if you would like to join another project session.

Our Historical Plaques

Step 5. How can we share what we’ve learned about Morden Lodge and the history of the site?

We are delighted to share our latest iteration of the Liberty Woodland School historical plaques. These images are another step in our design process. We have decided to use the motif of the LWS tree, rather than the tree and the LWS writing. The text written on each plaque was researched and curated by the three children within the team. We are proud of the Chiff-Chaffs' efforts and know that these cast plaques will stand the test of time, sharing our school history for many years to come. We look forward to sharing the final plaques with you at our end-of-term exhibition.

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