Many people
collected their water
from the river.
Some rivers were filthy. They were polluted by rubbish, dyes from the mills and sewage. Some people took their drinking water from the rivers.
The woman in the picture is washing the sheets of a Cholera victim in the river. The symptoms of Cholera were severe vomiting and diarrhoea.
Landlords did not
always get the
cesspits cleared
out.
The nightsoilmen were employed to clear out the cesspits. These were big holes in the ground under the privies (toilets). The smells would be terrible but many landlords did not like paying the nightsoilmen.
Houses shared privies
and cesspits which often
overflowed or
leaked.
Sewage from the cesspits often leaked into the water supply. The water from the standpipe would therefore be infected with disease. Over 100 people would share one toilet.
Local authorities
did not have to provide proper
drains or water
supplies.
There were no underground sewers. Waste was either thrown into gutters or flowed straight into the rivers. This water would be used for drinking and cooking.
In 1831 a new epidemic arrived – Cholera. This disease could kill a person in days. It is caused by a germ that attacks the intestines and leads to vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, cramps and death. It is spread by dirty water.
Cholera caused violent
vomiting and
diarrhoea.
Whole families of
factory workers shared a room or cellar.
Up to six families would share a house to try and save on the rent. Disease spread easily in crowded conditions.
No one knew that germs in
water caused disease.
People did not understand the germ. They thought disease was spread by smells and bad air. The germ was not discovered until 1867.
There were no
rules about how
new houses
had to be built.
Builders wanted to make a quick profit, and took advantage of there being no rules. The houses were small, cheap with no running water, heating or ventilation.
The houses were badly built and crowded together near the factories.
Some of the worst houses were built in terraces which were joined to the house behind. We call these back-to-back houses. The stone floors, single brick and poor roofing materials meant the houses were very damp and cold.
Factory workers
had to live in these
conditions.
More and more people moved to the industrial towns to work in the factories and other industry. The workers had to live as close as possible to their place of work. There were no cars, buses or bicycles and people started work very early in the morning.
People did not
complain about these
conditions.
Factory workers were poor. They feared their rates would go up if they complained to the landlords about the poor conditions.
Some people were so poor they lived below ground in the cellars of other people’s houses.
The Governm
ent refused
to do anything.
At the time no one expected the government to help the poor. Politicians thought they should not interfere in peoples lives. We call this attitude Laissez-faire.
