Trimdon Grange is a town in County Durham in the North of England. At the beginning of the 19th Century it was simply fields and moors. By the middle of the 19th Century more people came to live and work in Trimdon Grange. A railway was built and houses sprang up near to the railway line. By the late 19th Century Trimdon Grange had grown even bigger; there were now several roads and rows of houses.

On the next few pages we are going to look at a number of different sources about Trimdon Grange. We are trying find out what it must have been like to live in Trimdon Grange in the late 19th Century.

1a. This is a map of Trimdon Grange in 1857. Make a list of all the different things you can see in the map.

1b. Where did people work?

1c. Were the houses big or small?

1d. In 1857, was Trimdon Grange a large town?

1e. Was Trimdon a middle class or working class area? How did you make up your mind?

1f. Why do you think a railway was needed in Trimdon Grange?

Now look at Trimdon Grange in 1897

2a. What things changed or stayed the same between 1857 and 1896 in Trimdon Grange? Draw up a table like the one below in your book to help you.

2b. Why do you think Trimdon Grange had become a bigger place in 1897?

2c. Do you think people did the same jobs in 1897 as they did in 1857?

2d. Find all the churches on the 1897 map of Trimdon Grange. How many different religions were there?

2e. Around what part of Trimdon has the railway grown?

3a. Look at all of the photos. Can you match the photographs to the correct place on the map? (see Source 1 and Source 2 for maps)

3b. Describe the houses in Rose Street.

3c. What piece of clothing did most girls seem to wear?

3d. What seems to be the main form of transport?

3e. What type of street is Commercial Street? Hint: The clue is in the name of the street.

3f. In what ways is Commercial Street different from a high street today?

3g. Do you think that the people who lived in Rose Street were better or worse off than those who lived in Commercial Street? Explain how you made up your mind.

Source 3a: Photo of Trimdon Grange circa 1900
Sources 3b and 3c: Photos of Trimdon Colliery circa 1900

4a. Make a list of all the jobs that people on this street did.

4b. How many people did each job?

4c. What does this tell you about what kind of place Trimdon Grange was?

4d. At roughly what age did children go out to work?

4e. Who was the youngest worker on this street?

4f. Who is the oldest person in this street?

4g. Did all the women go out to work?

4h. Where were most people born?

Source 4: An 1881 Census Return for Trimdon Grange

5a. Find:

• The town
• The miner
• A pick-axe
• Factories

5b. Does the drawing make mining look like an easy job? Give reasons for your answer.

5c. The town and the factories all need the coal that the miner is digging. The miner’s hard work means that homes are warm, dinners are cooked and factories work. What is resting on the miner’s back?

5d. Without miners what would happen?

Source 5: Drawing of a miner

6. Make a leaflet for visitors to Trimdon Grange in the 19th Century. In the leaflet explain:

• how Trimdon Grange has changed over the years
• what most people in Trimdon Grange do for a living
• what Trimdon Grange looks like.

Include some drawings or a small map.

For more Snapshots on Trimdon Grange see:

Disaster at Trimdon Grange (1882)

The Trimdon Grange Explosion

For more Snapshots on Victorian life have a look at:

The 1833 Factory Act: A Problem Solved?

Was There Much Difference Between the Homes of the Victorian Rich and Poor?

You could also go to your library and ask for:

• Sallie Purkis, Your Victorian Locality (Longman, 1995)
• J. James, The Blacksmith’s House (A&C Black, 1979)