Victorian Buildings - Victorian Minds

Display the image and ask students to look at the building - students can write down a list of words they would use to describe it e.g. imposing, fancy ironwork et.c and contribute their ideas to a class discussion. If you have the image displayed on an interactive white-board they could write the words around the image. Ask students to think about the question - What do you think was in the minds of the Victorians who decided to build their town’s police station in this particular style and on this site? Use the Victorian Buildings card sort activity (download) to develop the idea that the Victorians designed buildings for specific purposes and as a reflection of their values and attitudes. The Information Sheet: What can Victorian buildings tell us (download) can be used for background information. Ask pupils to look at the images of other Victorian buildings. They should use the information in the captions to fill in the worksheet, using the evidence to decide what these buildings can tell us about Victorian minds.