A PRIMARY school celebrated 150 years since modern Darlington was created, with a special Victorian afternoon tea event.

Children at Reid Street School were served finger sandwiches, cream scones, cakes, shortcake trifle and pink lemonade for lunch as they celebrated 150 years since Queen Victoria granted a Charter of Incorporation to the town in 1867.

This paved the way for the creation of Darlington Borough Council and the modern town was born.

Dinner ladies dressed in Victorian costumes to serve pupils, who are learning about democracy and Victorian England.

To tie in with the theme, year four pupils had attended the town's Festival of Ingenuity to find out about the history of industry in Darlington, and the current opportunities on offer.

And some pupils had been taught about local Victorian colliery owner Henry King Spark, once-time owner of the Darlington & Stockton Times.

The school also heard from a man in Kent who had a book about the reign of Queen Victoria, and once he had read it he contacted the school as a certificate on the front page showed it had been presented to a pupil at Reid Street as a prize in 1914, only two years after the school had opened.

He sent the book in the post and teachers said it would be "treasured" in school.