Ruth Goodman paints a stark picture of the Victorian working-class diet. In the South, plain bread ruled the table. In the North? Perhaps a little more nutrition from potatoes and oats. Ruth is the presenter of our HistoryExtra Academy series Victorian Life. Watch the six-part video series at historyextra.com/academy/victorian-life/ 📸 Getty | HistoryExtra

Ruth Goodman explains how pubs were key social hubs for the Victorians. But as drinking took hold, the Temperance Movement rose up with cocoa rooms: warm, welcoming spaces for everyone – including women. Ruth is the presenter of our HistoryExtra Academy series Victorian Life. Watch the six-part video series at historyextra.com/academy/victorian-life/ 📸 Getty | HistoryExtra

In the third episode of the new HistoryExtra Academy course – Victorian Life with historian Ruth Goodman, filmed on location at Black Country Living Museum – we explore school and education in Victorian Britain. It was in the Victorian period that school shifted to becoming a more universal experience. In this episode, learn more about the Ragged school movement, the social mobility that schooling offered – and the punishments that were handed out... Discover more at HistoryExtra.com/Academy | H