Back to the Intro Page
The Industrial revolution was in full swing and there were loads of jobs to be found in the cities. The poor people who worked in the factories quite often lived in what were called “back to back” houses, cramped together in narrow streets with no garden. There would be one room and a kitchen downstairs and then one or two rooms upstairs as bedrooms. In large families all kids might sleep in the same bed and this could be as many as ten children. Both of Richard's father's parents, although born a little bit later than this, that is in the 1870s, were one of ten children. The “back-to-back” houses only had windows at the front. They would be very dark inside. These houses had no toilet, only an outside one in the street to share. There was still no running water in the homes but families could now go to a tap in the street to collect their cold water. Skilled workers lived in “through” houses, not joined to others at the back but joined on the side. We now call these terraced houses. They would have two rooms downstairs and two upstairs. The middle classes who lived in the towns had far bigger houses with ground floor kitchen and storerooms, a parlour (where you greeted your guests), a dining room and a drawing room for relaxation. Bedrooms would be upstairs and the servants would have rooms in the attic.
Back to Mainly the Georgians Hoots - HomesForward to the Victorians Hoots - Homes
