THE VICTORIANS HISTORY PROJECT

BY JACK GIBBS

INTRODUCTIONThe Victorian era started when Queen Victoria started her reign on the 20 June 1837.The Victorian era ended when queen Victoria died on the 22 January 1901.

THE WORK HOUSE IN EAST PRESTON

WHERE WAS THE EAST PRESTON WORKHOUSE?

THE WORKHOUSEThe Workhouse;In 1792 there was a work house built in East Preston. To build the workhouse, altogether it cost £1,059. The building expanded in 1806. In 1930, the work house was taken over by Sussex County Council and became the North View Home. The home was then demolished in 1969 and the site was sold for redevelopment. Soon afterwards, the Fairlands housing estate was built.

Who Went To Them;There were work houses all over Britain. The poor would go there when they had nowhere else to go. Those unable to look after themselves included the elderly, the sick and the abandoned children. Some of the early workhouses were badly run. To save money the poor were given hardly any food.

The Rules;Under the rules of the workhouse, men, women, boys and girls all lived separately. Everyone had to wear a uniform.

COAL MINES IN BRITIAN

COAL MINES IN BRITIAN

Coal Mines:Coal was the main source of power in the Victorian times. It was used for lots of different things, including cooking, heating, trains and steam ships. Before queen Victoria became queen, only about nine million tones of coal was mined in Britain each year. By the end of queen Victoria's reign, coal production had risen to 198 million tonnes each year. Much of this coal was shipped abroad, and sold all over the world.

Trappers: For twelve hours a day, until the 1840s, children as young as five worked down mines as trappers. For twelve hours a day, they sat in the dark, opening trap doors to allow the coal carts through. The trap doors were kept closed to stop gas spreading throughout the mine. Several explosions were caused by trappers who fell asleep or wandered off to play, leaving the trap doors open.

THE SEASIDE

THE SEASIDEThe Seaside;The new Victorian railways, allowed people who lived in cities, such as London, to travel to the seaside for the first time. Everyone loved to go to the seaside, even the rich. The rich went to the seaside for a week in the summer, staying in hotels and guest houses.

Piers;Every seaside town wanted visitors who would spend lots of money, one way to attract visitors was to build a pier. Blackpool was not happy with just one pier, so the town built three, and all three piers still attract visitors today.

Punch And Judy;One popular seaside entertainment was Punch And Judy (a puppet show) Children loved watching the bad behaviour of the wicked Mr Punch. You can still see Punch And Judy in some seaside towns today. When I was younger, I saw a Punch And Judy show in Torquay.

Donkey RidesDonkey rides were very popular during the Victorian times and are still very popular today in some seaside resorts. In Torquay, when I was younger I went on a Donkey ride as well. (I really enjoyed it) Page 6

Pictures of the Seaside

THE VICTORIANS AND USSussex;Here in Sussex, there are many Victorian houses, churches, chapels. Even some hospitals, schools, library's and town/village halls are Victorian made. The easiest way to see if a building is Victorian is to look for a date between 1837 and 1901. The buildings date is usually carved on the front of the building.

Museums;The Victorians built many museums too, such as the London Natural History Museum which is full of plants, insects, bones and stuffed animals.

GLOSSARYPIER;

TRAPPERS;

WORKHOUSE;

A structure running out over the sea, built for leisure and pleasure.

Children who worked down mines opening and closing trap doors to let coal carts through. The doors were kept closed to stop gas spreading.

A building which provided food and shelter to the poorest people, who were expected to work (unless they were to sick) In Scotland, they were called ‘Poorhouses’

CONCLUSIONA significant part of Victorian times were the railways and the bridges (built by Brunel) They are both still used today.Many museums, library's and schools are Victorian buildings, some are still used today!Along Littlehampton seafront their are many grand Victorian houses that have been turned into bedsits. People live in them today.The Victorians had a significant impact on how we live today.

THE END