Year 1 had a very special visitor—none other than the famous 17th-century diarist, Samuel Pepys!

The day began with the children taking on the role of town criers, ringing bells and calling out news to the “citizens” of Year 1, experiencing the thrill of delivering announcements the old-fashioned way.

The children were enamoured by Samuel Pepys and listened carefully to everything he revealed, with some impressing him with their own knowledge of what they already knew!

Next, both classes worked in their own classrooms on activities set by Samuel Pepys himself. This included making their own diaries of key events from Pepys’ past, collecting different stickers at stations, and using VIPERS skills to extract information from different sources.

They even tried writing with quills, carefully practicing their letters and imagining they were journaling their own London adventures alongside Pepys. The children also built their own timelines of the Great Fire of London, acting out key moments and even playing a game to see if the fire would spread before they “won,” giving everyone a hands-on understanding of how quickly events could unfold in historic London.

The excitement continued as Pepys quizzed the children: “What unusual pet did I have that could belong in a zoo?” Every child had a chance to guess, and amazingly one child even gave the correct answer! The victorious guesser was rewarded by digging for some cheese, just like Samuel had buried all those years ago. Do you know what the animal was?

They also used magnifying glasses to study a picture of London from a long, long time ago, spotting details they might have missed with the naked eye.

From start to finish, it felt as if history had stepped off the pages and into the classroom. While Samuel Pepys returned to the 17th century, Year 1 will remember this unforgettable journey back in time for weeks to come.