A history lesson was taken to another level at Heywood Prep School in Corsham as they staged their own version of the Great Fire of London.

Flames swept the cardboard buildings that had been thatched with straw and made by the students in their recreation of Pudding Lane, where the fire started in the capital.

But this time Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service were on hand to extinguish the flames, initially using buckets as the firefighters would have been done in 1666, followed by a pump and a hose.

One of the firefighters was knocked off his feet by the water pressure from the hose, which was met with howls of laughter from the children.

The whole school came out to watch the conflagration, which was part of Year 2’s creative curriculum to encompass lessons from art, science and design technology.

All the students dressed in period costume for the event and had been set the task of writing diary entries of people living on the street during the time of the fire.

Samuel Pepys, who kept a diary of his eyewitness account of the Great Fire of London, had travelled into the future to talk the 2014 children through the historical background of the catastrophe.

School spokesman Kate Ross said: “There was huge excitement. There were oohs and ahhs, eyes wide open and pointing as they watched the fire.

"They were all saying, ‘That’s my house,’ as the flames swept down the street.

“It was very interesting. It was not just fun for fun’s sake though; there is a strong educational side to it and the purpose was to stick some facts in and engage them.”