Victorian London

The Victorian era is named after Queen Victoria, the longest reigning queen in British history. It was a time of remarkable political, scientific and cultural change. During the Victorian period, the British extended their empire drastically, which included India, much of Africa, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. It was also the time of industrialisation, when factories sprang up especially in the North of England, thereby transforming rural communities into industrial cities. The Victorian era is often remembered for its strict moral standards, especially for women, who were idealised and expected to behave impecably. 

Introduction

Imagine you are travelling back in time, to the London of the year 1889. When you leave your time machine, you are one of the following characters:

- Lady McCormac, married to a Member of Parliament, living in an elegant London townhouse

- A working class woman working as seamstress, with 4 children.

- a police inspector, in charge of the Whitechapel district in London.

- a young orphan, living on the streets of London

Process

You will prepare a biography for your chosen character and present him/her to the class. You must include the following items:

- a photograph of your character

- a picture of the house/area where your character lives

- a typical day in your character's life

- name your character's biggest worry at the moment

- a diary entry that your character may have written

You may find the following pages helpful:

http://www.victorianweb.org/

 http://www.victorianlondon.org/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victorian_era

http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/trail/victorian_britain/

http://www.nettlesworth.durham.sch.uk/time/victorian/vfam.html

http://www.youth.net/victorian/hypermail/index.html