A group of Girl Guides and Leaders had their own night at the museum after the first sleepover event at Thetford's Ancient House Museum.
Guides from 1st Thetford and 9th Kings Lynn hold a sleepover in the Ancient house Museum, Thetford.Picture by: Sonya Duncan (Image: Archant Norfolk)
Guides from 1st Thetford and 9th King's Lynn had all night to learn about the 500-year-old building's fascinating past as they stayed there on Friday night.
The junior history lovers were given a torch-lit tour, met costumed characters, tried out historic crafts and handled genuine artefacts before trying a Palaeontologists Pudding for a late night treat.
After a good night's sleep, they were up bright and early to explore a recreation of an Anglo-Saxon burial site and dig up pieces of pottery, coins and learn about Thetfordware.
Melissa Hawker, Ancient House Museum learning officer, said the sleepover allowed young people to see the museum in a new light.
'It's a great opportunity to give young people a chance to explore the museum when they aren't normally allowed and it adds an extra air of excitement.
'You can't normally look around by torch light and it's a lot of fun and reveals new sides to the building that you don't normally get to experience,' she said.
As part of the event, the Guides gained an Arts Award Discover Certificate and it counted towards their Nights Away badges.
The event was organised by Tabitha Runacres, who is working at the museum as part of a Skills for the Future Heritage Lottery funded traineeship.
She said: 'Rarely can you touch historical objects and see behind the scenes in a museum, but to actually sleep inside a building five centuries old with thousands of years of history around you? That really is something else.'
To contact the Ancient House Museum, call 01842 752599.
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