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Victorian Britain (1837-1901) was about to change forever.The Industrial Revolution, which brought major advances in
technology, would affect the lives of the upper and the lower classes.
This exhibition looks at aspects of their very different worlds during The Industrial Revolution led to
the movement of people from the
countryside to the towns. At this time,
14% of the entire population of England
and Wales had moved to London. The The lower classes became the servants in their houses. Servants had always been employed by the upper classes. However, these new ‘up and coming’ Victorians now needed to employ staff to run their grand homes. The lower classes also became the workforce for their factories. As they moved from agricultural to factory work, their living conditions slowly improved. Housing was provided for them. Steam powered pumping engines meant that there was better sanitation and clean water. The Industrial Revolution also created a powerful middle class, with money to spend and a desire to host lavish parties, which needed vast numbers of servants. The development of the railway and the invention of the bicycle led to a greater freedom of movement for everyone.
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The invention of the railways made a big difference to how the Victorians spent their leisure time. As well as days out to the seaside, special trains were put on to take people to events such as the Great Exhibition, the races and football matches. Steam trains could travel up to 50mph, so even long journeys could be made in one day, though some Victorians thought this speed dangerously fast! People would buy a ticket for one shilling and could travel across the country on ‘Shilling Days’. Today, it takes just over two hours How long do you think it took on a steam train? How long would it have taken by horse and cart? |
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