THE labour-intensive secrets of doing the laundry Victorian-style couldn't be more different from the high-tech convenience of today.

But demonstrations of those long-forgotten washing techniques have been keeping visitors entertained at the Ryedale Folk Museum on the North York Moors.

Old fashioned scrubbing is just one of the crafts of yesteryear that the Hutton-le-Hole museum has been demonstrating in a series of activity days.

The delights of rope-making, drawing, drop scone making and rag rug making have also been among the 19th-Century skills on display. Organiser Helen Mason said: "The great thing about these activity days is that we actually get people doing things. They don't just watch."

There are activity days tomorrow and Thursday, from 1.30pm to 4pm. Then on Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday, a Village Life event includes a policeman, in 1940s uniform on patrol, and various demonstrations