What were Victorian workhouses like?

Conditions were cramped with beds squashed together, hardly any room to move and with little light. When they were not in their sleeping corners, the inmates were expected to work.

What was it like for a Victorian child in a workhouse?

Upon entering the workhouse, the poor were stripped and bathed (under supervision). The food was tasteless and was the same day after day. The young and old as well as men and women were made to work hard, often doing unpleasant jobs. Children could also find themselves ‘hired out’ (sold) to work in factories or mines.

What was the workhouse wail?

The ‘workhouse wail’, an animal-like scream of pain and despair, was described by Henry Mayhew. Such misery is well described by Charlie Chaplin. Aged 7, his brother Sydney and mother entered Newington Workhouse in May 1896. They were fortunate to be able to leave after two months.

What was daily life like in a workhouse?

The ‘idle and profligate’ (another name for unemployed) were occupied with dull tasks, such as breaking stones for roads and pulling rope apart. Aspects such as education, medical care or diet may actually have been better inside The Workhouse than for the poor in their own homes.

Did the Victorians love their children?

Victorian parents were not known for showing affection. In fact, they believed even minimal amounts of affection would spoil a child. Victorian parents were encouraged to never kiss or hug their children, only a peck on the forehead before bed if they really couldn’t help themselves.

Where did they sleep in the workhouse?

For vagrants and casuals, the ‘bed’ could be a wooden box rather like a coffin, or even just be a raised wooden platform, or the bare floor. In some places, metal rails provided a support for low-slung hammocks.

Why were the Victorians so obsessed with death?

Another reason why the Victorians were so ritualistic in their methods of grieving is because death was simply a way of life due to the high mortality rates (Hunter). In London, the average lifespan for middle to upper class males was 44 years of age, 25 for tradesman, and 22 for laborers (Hunter).

Did Victorians sleep on ropes?

Although safer than the streets, most were still associated with being places of squalor, poverty and discomfort. For an extra penny you could pay to sleep literally hanging over a rope.