Virtual tour: Victorian Walk - Challenges

Explore our Victorian Walk gallery wherever you are – with challenges to do too!

Here are just the challenges to complete in our immersive Victorian Walk experience.

1. Find the toy shop

Hint: Start and go forward five times. The sign above says 'TOYSHOP'.

Zoom in to have a good look at what's on display.

If you could buy one thing from the toy shop, what would it be?

What are some of the differences between Victorian toys and toys today?

In Victorian times, children from poorer families would save their money to buy ‘penny toys’.

2. Find the barrel organ

Hint: From the toy shop, turn left, go forward three times, turn left again, go forward once, look to your right.

Children who could not afford toys would make their own entertainment in the streets. They might listen and dance to the music of a barrel organ, which played a melody when someone cranked the handle on the side.

Do you know any other places where Victorian people could listen to music?

What ways can you listen to music today?

3. Find the tea and coffee warehouse

Hint: From the barrel organ, go forwards towards the post box, turn right, go forward. Look up and you should see the sign.

What do you think the large ‘wheel’ outside was used for?

Why do you think tea, coffee and sugar were very expensive in Victorian times?

4. Find a Victorian bicycle

Hint: With the tea and coffee warehouse on your right, go forward twice. It's on your right.

Do you know the proper name for this type of bicycle?

Here's a clue: P _ _ _ Y - F_ _ _ _ _ _ G

How is it different to a modern bicycle?

How do you think people might have got onto it?

The bicycle (or ‘velocipede’) was invented in the Victorian period and became very popular.

5. Find the grocer’s shop

Hint: From the bicycle, turn left and go through the archway, then go forward. It's on your right.

This is where people in Victorian times would buy tinned and dry foodstuffs – the sort of things we would buy from a supermarket or a convenience store today.

• What food can you see on sale?
• Try zooming in to read the labels. What brands can you see?
• Do you recognise any types or makes of food that we still use today?
• If you were shopping in this grocer’s, would you be able to get to what you wanted?
• How is a modern supermarket different?

Tinned food was introduced in the early 19th century and was very expensive at first.

6. Find the fancy stationer’s shop

Hint: With the grocer's shop on your right, go forward. It's right in front of you.

This sort of shop sold things like writing paper, greetings cards and envelopes.

Christmas cards were very popular with Victorian Londoners.

How many pictures of Father Christmas can you spot?

How is he different to pictures of Father Christmas you might see today?

Many winter traditions such as Christmas trees, crackers, giving presents and Father Christmas were introduced in Victorian times.

What else can you find?

You've made it to the end. Well done!

There's plenty more to see if you keep your eyes peeled!