MUSEUM visitors took a trip down memory lane at the weekend.

The Victorian period street at Preston Hall Museum, near Stockton, which represents a typical urban setting of the 1890s, was brought to life by actors who talked to adults and children about their lives at that time.

One of the actors played a fireman who worked on the railways, and another an Irish navvy working to help build railways.

The artists were funded through a Government project called Renaissance in the Regions, which helps regional museums make their collections more accessible.

The event was complemented by the Friends of Preston Hall Museum, who dressed in costume and guided visitors around Victorian period rooms that are normally closed to the public.

Visitors were able to ask questions about what it was like to live at that time.

Paul Lake, the visitors' services manager at the museum, in Eaglescliffe, Teesside, said: "It has gone really well this weekend and been very busy. It is something that we hope to be able to do more often if we can get funding. It really brings the museum to life. It is certainly something that the friends of the museum want to do more regularly."

Published: 23/08/2004