Broomfield Primary School pupils recently got a taste of their local past as they visited the Essex Record Office.

As part of their visit, they got to see the Broomfield Bible, which once belonged to King Charles I and was given to the parish of Broomfield in the 1720s. The Bible is lavishly decorated with an embroidered royal coat of arms.

The pupils also saw historic maps and photographs of Broomfield, and found out how the Essex Record Office looks after its precious documents in special store rooms and in its Conservation Studio.

Stephen Dixon, Archive Service Manager at Essex County Council, said: “It’s wonderful that these youngsters have been given the chance to look around the Essex Record Office’s wonderful facilities. I hope that the pupils who visited are inspired to continue finding out about the history of their community.”

Evie, in Year Five at Broomfield Primary, said: “We were not just fascinated to find out some amazing facts, we were amazed to see some facts that gave us a link to things from hundreds of years ago.

"On our journey through time we filled our brains with lots of information and fun facts.”

Ben, also in Year Five, said: “It’s a brilliant place to find out many things. The people who work there are very kind and friendly.

"They were experts and shared all their knowledge and information with us from generations ago.”

The children were so taken with their visit they have even written a guest post for the ERO blog with their thoughts on the day, which can be found here.