Victorian London

Victorian age is named after Victoria, who became a queen in 1837 at age of 18 and
ruled for 68 years until her death in 1901 . The Victorian time period is known for its
hierarchy based social order. Victorian society was a class based. You can see the various
nobility titles in Britain. Therefore, the Victorian middle class not only would lose their jobs
and have to find another, but they had to compete with immigrants for work. This drove the
prices down on the wages and most poor class families struggled to even put food on the
table. The wedding day in Victorian times was considered to the most important day in the
life of a Victorian girl. The girls were from the very beginning had been taught to marry and
to take of the family. The marriage of a girl was something very special for the mother, the
soon to be bride and her family.

The Victorian Age produced a variety of changes. Political and social reform
produced a variety of reading among all classes. The lower-class became more self-conscious,
the middle class more powerful and the rich became more vulnerable. The Victorian people
were going through major change. New technology made transportation and communication
faster and cheaper. Also, the development of railroads and steamboats made shipping goods
and materials faster and more efficient so world trade was also increasing at this time . The
reform and industrial revolution changed the way that people thought. Class values were of
much importance at this time. Victorians believed that the poor were improvident because
they spent any money they did gain on drinks and gambling. Others said that God had put
poor people in their place and that they should not be fooled around with. The population of
this time was growing and it was considerably due to people wanting employment and jobs to
make money and was also due to the industrial revolution. The Victorians were confident
people who sought knowledge and adventurous situations. With all the new ideas and quests,
the aristocracy lost their power and the middle class gained many privileges and loads of
wealth. The working lives of everyone had changed little though .

This industrial time impoverished a ton of people and brought even more wealth to the
middle class and the already wealthy. The middle class liked to show their money and they
soon became the epitome of standards and good taste. They also values what was decorative
and like huge homes, heavy furniture, and lots of knickknacks. Men wore top hats and women
had long beautiful skirts and this really showed their wealth. The middle class used status to
make national policy as well. The middle class used their wealth to be able to vote by the time
of the middle of the industrial revolution. The upper classes actually lost some of their wealth
due to the middle class upraise. By the time of the mid-nineteenth century, the middle class
held an extremely large amount of the nations wealth.

There were many different things for people to do for fun in the Victorian Era (1837 to
1901). Leisure activities included reading, visiting the seaside and playing outdoor games.
There were many barriers between males and females during the Victorian Era. Leisure
activities broke down these barriers, for men and women often took part in them together.
New opportunities for traveling arose as the railways were built, new sports were invented
and new games became more popular. Before this time, natural history was a hobby of
interest, especially for collectors, but as leisure activities came about, natural history was left
for the specialists. The range of exciting activities attracted tourists to London, which caused
travel to grow in popularity.

People were interested in a variety of literature, including works by Charles Dickens,

Jane Austen and Arthur Conan Doyle. One of the most famous Victorian children’s books
was ‘Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland’ by Lewis Carroll, which was published in 1865.
Children’s books included moral lessons, while women read fiction and poetry.

It was common to hear the sound of brass bands as you were walking through the parks.
Recording music was quite rare – it was only for extremely wealthy people. Singing was
popular. Rich families used pianos to accompany their voices, while poorer families used
fiddles or pipes. Vocal and instrumental parts were balanced in the music heard in concert
performances. Street musicians commonly played barrel organs, some of which had a monkey
with them. These people/animals attracted large crowds. Bands played at the park on
weekends, where people would gather around the bandstand. Opera was often attended.
Birthday parties were a fun event to host, especially if there was a magic lantern show. An oil
or gas lamp would show large images of wild animals or other pictures, telling a story in the
process. Fairs traveled around the country with their slides and swings, shooting galleries,
strongmen shows, fire-eats, fortune tellers and jugglers. Circuses also traveled with their big
tents, clowns, horses and elephants.

Theatre and the arts were common interests. Those who could not afford the regular
theatre attended the Music Hall, which featured many different acts. These acts included
comedians, singers, acrobats, and much more. If a poor person was looking for a good paying
job, they would turn to job openings at the Music Hall. The pantomime was popular during
the Christmas season. This show had incredible special effects, including lights, smoke and
live animals. Once again, poor children could obtain jobs at the pantomime, instead of the
regular theatre.

The industrious Victorians were great builders; amongst the iconic, central London
structures erected during Queen Victoria’s reign are the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge,
Trafalgar Square and Nelson’s Column, the Royal Courts of Justice and the National Portrait
Gallery. To the west, a walk around the museum district of South Kensington is virtually a
journey into the ultimate Victorian utopia. The world-famous galleries and museums housed
along Exhibition Road — the Natural History Museum, Science Museum, Royal Albert Hall,
the V&A, for instance — were built as per the vision of Prince Albert, Queen Victoria’s
husband, who wished to create a centre for cultural and scientific learning, unparalleled by
any other nation. The Victorians were a fiercely proud bunch. The Victorians were
particularly big on pleasure gardens (recreational public gardens used for entertainment,
which are largely considered to be precursors to the modern theme park.

Victorian homes were built to impress, and they are still impressive today. The Victorian
era spawned several well-known styles, including Gothic revival, Italianate, Second Empire,
Queen Anne, stick style, Romanesque style and shingle style. The Victorian styles evolved
largely from the imposing, elaborate Gothic style, which appealed to the romantic Victorian
idea that fashion, architecture and furnishings should be beautiful rather than practical. A
wealthy Victorian woman's clothing, for example, involved corsets, hoop skirts and dresses
that used yards of fabric. It made sense for the trendy home designs to reflect that excess as
well. Architects took the ideas of Gothic architecture and added French, Italian, Tudor and
even Egyptian details. Designers were free to combine the styles to create several different
well-known styles -and combine the styles as they saw fit. As a result, there are few Victorian
homes that look the same. Ideas from the Gothic style may have started the Victorian styles,
but a kick from the Industrial Revolution nationalized the trend. Steam-powered sawmills
could create elaborate materials cheaper and faster. As a result, late Victorian homes became
increasingly ornate. Even lower-income families could afford trim and patterns to turn their
existing homes into "folk Victorians." Victorian homes are usually large and imposing.

Wood or stone exterior. The majority of Victorian styles use wood siding, but the
Second Empire and Romanesque styles almost always have outer walls made of stone.
Complicated, asymmetrical shape. Unlike the boxy Greek revival style, Victorian homes
have wings and bays in many directions. Decorative trim. Commonly called "gingerbread,"
Victorian homes are usually decorated with elaborate wood or metal trim. Textured wall
surfaces. Scalloped shingles, patterned masonry or half-timbering are commonly used to
dress up Victorian siding. Steep, multi-faceted roof or Mansard roof. Victorian homes
often have steep, imposing rooflines with many gables facing in different directions. The
Second Empire Victorian style has a flat-topped Mansard roof with windows in the side to
allow for maximum space inside the house. One-story porch. A large, wraparound porch
with ornamental spindles and brackets is common, especially in the Queen Anne style.
Towers. Some high-end Victorian homes are embellished with a round or octagonal tower
with a steep, pointed roof. Vibrant colors. Before the Victorian era, most houses were
painted all one color, usually white or beige. By 1887, bright earth tones like burnt sienna and
mustard yellow were in vogue.