PEASANT life demonstrations, an Edwardian travelling sideshow and period music will be displayed at a North-East visitor attraction over the weekend.

Tanfield Railway, near Stanley, County Durham, has turned back the clock more than a century with a range of family activities alongside steam train rides.

Featuring bizarre items, such as the Marcus Island Mermaid, the sideshow will suspend the disbelief of visitors with extravagant period performances.

Louisa the peasant will also be demonstrating typical Edwardian cooking techniques and displaying children’s toys of the era.

Other traditional Easter activities that began in the Edwardian times will also be taking place, including an Easter egg hunt and young visitors will all receive a small free chocolate egg.

Chris Walker, from Tanfield Railway, said: “Our steam trains are genuine relics of the Edwardian era so we were keen to recreate something of how Easter would have appeared around a century ago too.

“Easter egg hunts and chocolate eggs first became popular and sideshows like the Palace of Curiosities attracted huge crowds.”