What Was Life like In Victorian Britain

In Victorian Britain steam was used to power the cotton mills to process the cotton from the Americas, thus producing half the world's cotton goods. Coal mining rapidly expanded as the demand for steam to power the mills and factories increased.

Farming was still a major part of life in Britain in the Victorian age and with the introduction of steam powered farm machinery the farm labourers life was made easier. This in turn meant that fewer labourers were needed for the same amount of work. Those unlucky enough to be displaced could find themselves in the workhouse.

Local people would be servants to maintain the large country estates. Some would even live on the estate in very cramped conditions in tied cottages. In their own homes the women were occupied by cooking meals and mending clothes

There were also medical advances where it was found that the boiling and scrubbing of medical instruments increased the chances of survival for patients.

With the boiling of water and washing of hands, the incidents of cholera dropped considerably.

Then saw the introduction of morphine which helped with pain relief, while women were given chloroform during childbirth to ease their pain.