Out of the Archive: A Creative Journey through the Heritage of Wandsworth

Resources for KS1 and KS2 were commissioned as part of London Borough of Culture 2025 and Wandsworth Heritage Festival. Created by illustrator Grace Holliday, a Royal College of Art (RCA) graduate, these resources introduce special items from the Wandsworth collection that connect with curriculum topics:

• KS1 – Mid Century Design, Sports & Leisure, Play
• KS2 – Victorian Design, Fashion, Domestic Life

The aim of these resources is to bring to life items from the collection and connect young people with the history of their borough. The resources will encourage pupils to explore local history and compare the past with the present through fun, creative activities.

The resources are freely accessible to all primary schools, including SEND and PRU settings, thanks to London Borough of Culture and National Lottery Heritage funding.

What is the Wandsworth Heritage Collection?

The Wandsworth Heritage Collection includes a wide range of historical items that help tell the story of the borough. These items used to be part of the Wandsworth Museum. Today, the collection includes around 14,000 objects, such as:

• paintings and watercolours
• archaeological finds
• photographs
• clothing and textiles
• household items

These objects help us to learn about the way people used to live and work in Wandsworth, all the way from the Neolithic period up to the early 2000s. The items included in the KS1 and KS2 resource packs were specially selected by Grace Holliday to link to curriculum topics and show how, through creative projects, our history can be brought to life.