Suitable for all ages, Mrs Bird will teach you how to make paper spills and rag rugs. Just bring your enthusiasm and a willingness to learn!

Before the invention of matches, lighting fires was difficult. People had to use a tinderbox, which contained a piece of flint, a steel striker, and tinder, such as charred rags. People made spills or tapers at home from writing paper, old newspapers, and even old letters and they would be kept in a container on the mantelpiece above the fireplace within easy reach.

Victorian children would have been adept at rolling spills and also be making hessian backed rugs from scraps of fabric or rags. Why not see if you can make some?

FREE hands-on drop in activity as part of the ‘Explore Victorian Domestic Life’ series of events.

Normal entry fees apply. Wollaton Hall car parking fees apply.