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| In Victorian society, rich and poor could find themselves living very close together, sometimes just streets apart. But how different were the homes they lived in? Use this collection of sources to find out. | |
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1. Start by looking at the map of Hackney. 1a. What things does it show? 1b. Are all the streets the same width? 1c. What work places are shown? 1d. Are there any parks or open fields, schools or churches? 1e. Find Upper Clapton Road 1f. Find Conduit Street off Rossington Street
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Map of Hackney in East London |
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2a.
Are these homes for the rich or the poor?
2b. How many families lived in Conduit Place (at least)?
2c. How many rooms do you think each home had? 2d. What would go on in each room? 2e. Where would the children play? 2f. There is only one young person in this photo. Does that mean that:
2g. Can you see what the woman at the end of the street is carrying? |
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3. Now view the census return for some houses in Conduit Place to find out more. 3a. What type of work did the head of the household do? 3b. Did the children go out to work? 3c. Did the wives go out to work? 3d. Who other than the Harding family lived at 5 Conduit Place? 3e. What else do you notice about the Harding family? 3f. Why do you think they had a lodger living with them? 3g. Conduit Place does not exist today. Make a list of reasons why it might have been demolished.
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4. Now have a look at homes round the corner on Upper Clapton Road. 4a. Did this house belong to a rich or poor family? 4b. How many families do you think lived here? 4c. How many floors does the house appear to have? 4d. How many rooms do you think the house might have? 4e. What tells you that this photo was posed ?
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Now view a census return for a house in Clapton Road.
5a. What does James Bourklebank do for a living? 5b. How many children does he have? 5c. Is this family middle class or working class?
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6. Create a list of: similarities between the rich and poor families : differences between the rich and poor families. 7. If your house is over 100 years contact your local archive to find the census records and see who lived there. |
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Was There Much Difference Between the Homes of the Victorian Rich and Poor?Homes for the Poor During the 19th Century more people moved into the towns and cities to find work in factories. Cities filled to overflowing and London was particularly bad. At the start of the 19th Century about 20% of Britain’s population lived there, but by 1851 half the population of the country had set up home in London. London, like most cities, was not prepared for this great increase in people. People crowed into already crowded houses. Rooms were rented to whole families or perhaps several families. If there was no rooms to rent, people stayed in lodging houses. Land-owners or factory owners often built houses for their workers. Unfortunately, this did not always make standards better. The houses were cheap, most had between 2-4 rooms - one or two rooms downstairs, and one or two rooms upstairs. But Victorian families were big with perhaps 4-5 children. There was no water, and no toilet. A whole street (sometimes more) would have to share a couple of toilets and a pump. The water from the pump was frequently polluted. It was no surprise that few children made it to adulthood. Some of the worst houses were ‘back to backs’ or courts. The only windows were at the front. There were no backyards and a sewer ran down the middle of the street. Housing conditions like this were perfect breeding grounds for diseases. Homes for the Rich On the other hand the homes for the middle classes and the upper classes were much better. They were better built, larger and had most of the new gadgets installed, such as flushing toilets, gas lighting, and inside bathrooms. These houses were also decorated in the latest styles. There would be heavy curtains, flowery wallpaper, carpets and rugs, ornaments, well made furniture, paintings and plants. Most rich people had servants and they would live in the same house, frequently sleeping on the top floor or the attic. The rich had water pumps in their kitchens or sculleries and their waste was taken away down into underground sewers. Improvements Gradually, improvements for the poor were made. In 1848, Parliament passed laws that allowed city councils to clean up the streets. One of the first cities to become a healthier place was Birmingham. Proper sewers and drains were built. Land owners had to build houses to a set standard. Streets were paved and lighting was put up. Over time slums were knocked down and new houses built. However, these changes did not take place overnight. When slums were knocked down in 1875 the poor people had little choice but to move to another slum, making that one worse. Few could not afford new housing. |
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If you want to find out more about homes for the rich and the poor Ask your librarian for:
You could also visit some of the following places, or find out what there is in your local area at the Tourist Board.
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