Victorian links
Here are a few links to websites about Victorian England that you might want to take a look at:
BBC Bitesize has some great pages on various aspects of life in the Victorian age, including online games to teach children about working conditions.
English Heritage has a section of their website devoted to Victorians, and of course, there's Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, designed by Prince Albert as a royal retreat for himself and his family.
Osborne House on the Isle of Wight: it's important to have a little place in the country where you can escape the grind of daily life.
At the other end of the spectrum from Osborne House, you can experience how tough life was for the Victorian poor with the Ragged Victorians. They're a living history group who re-enact life as it was lived by the lower classes. If you've read 'The Shimmer on the Glass', you'll have some idea what to expect. But take care, your living conditions could be a good deal worse than Lucy's!
If life as a pauper doesn't appeal to you, you'll probably have a bit more fun visiting Rochester, which has two Dickensian festivals each year, one in June and the other at Christmas. There's more information about both on the Rochester Dickens Festival website.
If that's way too far south for you, you might prefer to make the journey to Ulverston's Dickensian Festival, which is another Christmas event, towards the end of November.
And last but not least, if you're a teacher looking for resources to teach children about the Victorians, there's Save Teachers Sundays, where you can find Victorian KS2 planning and resources.