Life in Victorian Britain

What was daily life like for people in the Victorian era? From the slums of 19th-century London and life in the workhouse to the court of Queen Victoria and the revolution of the railways, we bring you the facts

The French ballerina who became wealthier than Queen Victoria. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

6 strange newspaper stories that shocked Victorian Britain. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Bridge Cottage, Wirral. (Photo by Corbis Documentary/Getty Images)

History explorer: the arts and crafts movement. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A London slum family stood in a street with all their possessions following eviction, c1901. (Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Life in 19th-century slums: Victorian London’s homes from hell

5 hidden killers of the Victorian home. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Victorians’ surprisingly liberal attitude towards gay men. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Picture of children being put to bed

Q&AWhat was 'pigging'?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Victorians’ grisly fascination with murder. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Dinner at a Victorian workhouse

History explorer: Life in the Victorian workhouse. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Life in the workhouse and British biographies. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Victorian Christmas: 3 recipes to try at home. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Duke of Wellington and the Earl of Winchilsea in a duel at Battersea Fields. (Culture Club/Getty Images)

Pistols at dawn: duelling in the Victorian age. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

9 astonishing deaths reported in Victorian newspapers. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Rosedene Cottage

History explorer: The Chartist movement. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A letter-writer depicted by Janez Subic, c1878. (© Getty)

The great Victorian letter swindle. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Living in the shadow of the workhouse. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A policeman feels the full force of a blast in this illustration – from the 7 June 1884 issue of 'The Illustrated Police News' – depicting a Fenian attack on Scotland Yard. The Fenians' dynamite campaign of the early 1880s provoked a radical response from the British government. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

The Victorian war on terror. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The story behind Hidden Killers of the Victorian Home

"Although the circus as we know it has its roots in the 18th century, the history of its three basic forms (clowning, equestrianism and animals) goes back much further," says Vanessa Toulmin. (Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images)

Where history happened: the circus in Britain. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A rail revolution: Dan Snow on the meteoric rise of British railways. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The Victorian trade in dead bodies. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A Victorian drawing room with pictures in heavy frames and ornately covered furniture, c1860. (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Where history happened: Victorian collectors. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

What are the origins of the ‘mutes’ that attended Victorian funerals?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Life in a London slum and the Last Judgement. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

The myth of native-bashing. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.