Meadow 2 had a wonderful time at Shire Hall. We found out about the Great Fire of Dorchester, how it started and also how it was put out. We enjoyed seeing the building where the fire started, it used to be a candle maker’s shop. Candles were made of tallow (animal fat), reeds or beeswax at the time of the fire. We also looked at maps to compare how Dorchester then and now. There were no schools and hospitals but we could see the Guild hall (Shire Hall now) and also a number of churches and a prison.
We also had a go at making peg dolls, a popular toy in Victorian times.
Asl us what we know about the Great Fire of Dorchester or the Great Fire of London, we are experts!