Featured Activity: The Little Ice Age

During the Little Ice Age (which ran from the 16th to the 19th century) winters in Europe were much colder than they are today, with snow common at low altitudes and canals, lakes and rivers freezing much more commonly. The Thames even froze in London a number of times, allowing ‘frost fairs’ to take place – the last one was in 1814 and featured an elephant walking underneath Blackfriar’s Bridge! Depictions of the Little Ice Age in art and literature may also be responsible for all those snowy scenes we see on Christmas cards in the UK even though there were only 7 white Christmases in the whole of the 20th century.Part of our 'Iceworld' strand, this week's free featured activity is all about life during the Little Ice Age in Britain. Download it and give it a try!