YORK Castle Museum's famous Victorian Street has been transformed into a "magical stage" this Christmas - complete with festive puppet show.

The back wall of the period-style Kirkgate street now stages a large-scale projection of a puppet show, telling a story inspired by the Victorian era.

The show is played on repeat, and the curtains rise to reveal that the residents have lost their Christmas spirit, and fictional characters, Victorian children Annie and Tom, are on a mission to bring back the Christmas magic.

Fiona Burton, public engagement manager at the York Museums Trust, said: “This Christmas we have decided to transform our famous Victorian Street into a magical stage, with an uplifting story to embrace the festive season with. The imagery of the puppet show is historically accurate, based on the toy theatres we have in our collections, with the primary colour palette of the toys.”

The street is complete with a sweet shop, where visitors can step back in time and buy their own confectionery, and a bed of artificial snow covering the cobbles.

The doors to the shops are hung with Christmas wreaths, and the street is paved with Christmas trees, as it would have been decorated during the Victorian era - with one shop showcasing a toy theatre from its collections.

Helen Thornton, documentations assistant at the museum, said: “Puppet shows were a popular form of entertainment in the Victorian era, such as the Punch and Judy show, with there being no televisions to watch, and children would often have toy ones to play with.

“Queen Victoria popularised the Christmas tree, brought over to this country from Germany, and it became more common in upper to middle class households in the 1870s, having been show in the London Illustrated News.”

The show viewing is included in the general admission fee.