IT was gaslights, camera and Victorian action at the Museum of Oxford yesterday.

Visitors took a step back in time at the Oxford Town Hall museum to make their own moving images with the help of some "magic lanterns".

Professional lanternist Professor Mervyn Heard was on hand to show how these early projectors were used for entertainment before the birth of cinema.

The professor, who has performed his shows as far afield as Japan and Australia, also gave fans a glimpse of his Biunial "double-decker" magic lantern.

On the show's history, he said: "The origins of the magic lantern are obscure although evidence suggests that it was Dutch scientist Christian Huygens who was most significantly involved in its development in the 1650s.

"In the decade which followed there are various reports of its use by pioneers as a playful conjuring device."

Tomorrow will also be the last day visitors can see the 40 Years, 40 Objects display at the museum.