CHESTNUTS roasting on an open fire, lace-trimmed Christmas cards, an organ grinder pumping tunes out of a wooden instrument... that was the spirit of Christmas past in Basingstoke at the weekend.

Stilt-walkers dressed as bobbies and top-hatted gentlemen strode around the centre, delighting children with their balloon toys.

A couple who looked as if they had walked straight out of the novel Nicholas Nickleby had shoppers stopping to stare - he played a jig on a hand-held organ while she made two puppets dance merrily to the tune.

At the edge of a stall selling flags and cards, the less well-to-do, Fagin-esque Victorians sat roasting chestnuts or offering to sweep chimneys.

Philip Carr, a jolly 52-year-old with grime on his face and a tatty blanket and hat to keep him warm, came from Gloucestershire to act as a "lower end Victorian" - a chimney sweep.

"It's been interesting," he said. "A lot of children have central heating and don't have open fires, so watching us roast chestnuts is really exciting for them because it's the first time they've seen it.

"The parents love it, too - it brings back memories."

Mr Carr runs a business called History People and said he and his family love bringing history alive for others by showing them how we used to live.

He said: "Hopefully some of the children who have seen us will go to the library and say 'look, that's what those people were doing', and be inspired to learn more about history."