VICTORIAN SLUMS
In the late 18th century, the beginnings of the Industrial Revolution prompted migration from rural to urban areas, where newly established factories promised bountiful employment. Affordable housing for these new workers rapidly proliferated and rows of terraced houses became the norm. However, the lack of facilities, overcrowding and poor sanitation created a public health crisis on an unprecedented scale. These urban environments, seen by many as a symbol of Britain’s success as an industrial power, quickly became a breeding ground for diseases such as typhus and cholera, and exposed the stark class divisions in British society.
London: A Divided City