A beautiful sunny day set the scene on Wednesday, 19 May when the Preparatory Department, accompanied by their teachers, set out for a day at Valentine's Mansion and Gardens.

The morning was spent learning about the staff who worked at the mansion in Victorian times.  The girls were divided into groups of 4 and each given a box to explore which had various items of clothing and ornaments such as keys, candles and scrubbing brush etc; all clues which helped them to describe their assigned person. 

One girl from each team dressed up as a butler, parlour maid, coachman or head housekeeper and each group guessed their character correctly. 

After lunch, on the lawn in the sunshine, the girls enjoyed planting beans, learning how bees made honey and were taken on a tour of Valentines Gardens where, as well as looking and smelling many herbs and flowers, were able to see a baby heron. Later Simon, the Park Manager, introduced a tree frog, a toad from South America and an eighty year old tortoise who enjoyed the attention from our girls as well as the fresh air and a lunch of juicy clover. 

The girls also explored the house, saw the items which were once used in the kitchen and worked out what we would use instead these days e.g. Washboards now replaced by washing machines and heavy, metal, hand mincers, the 'Victorian answer to our food processor and blender.