Rich Homes Wealthy Victorians decorated their homes in the latest styles. There would be heavy curtains, flowery wallpaper, carpets and rugs, ornaments, well made furniture, paintings and plants. The rooms were heated by open coal fires and lighting was provided by candles and oil or gas lamps.
What houses did rich Victorians live in?
Wealthy Victorian families lived in large detached and semi-detached townhouses with room for servants. Reception rooms were high-ceilinged and designed to impress guests. They had elaborately moulded cornices and marble fireplaces.
How did the rich people live during the Victorian times?
Most rich people had servants and they would live in the same house, frequently sleeping on the top floor or the attic. The rich had water pumps in their kitchens or sculleries and their waste was taken away down into underground sewers. Gradually, improvements for the poor were made.
What were houses like in the Victorian era?
A lot of houses were put up very quickly and were of low quality, damp and cold. Living conditions were dreadful as there was no running water or proper sanitation in the houses and often several families shared one house, with each family living in just one or two rooms.
What rooms did Victorian mansions have?
The top floor would typically house the servants quarters and the children’s rooms with a nursery. The second floor would include the master bedroom and the second bathroom. On the first floor you’d find the drawing room or parlour, which acted as a receiving room for guests and visitors.
What was Victorian life like for the rich and poor?
| The Poor | The Wealthy |
|---|---|
| had few luxuries. ate food they could afford to buy worked long hours lived in damp, filthy conditions. Many children died of disease. | usually well fed, clean and well clothed. didn’t need to work lived in big houses with servants went on holidays children had expensive toys children went to school |
What did upper class Victorians do?
The social classes of this era included the Upper class, Middle class, and lower class. Those who were fortunate enough to be in the Upper class did not usually perform manual labor. Instead, they were landowners and hired lower class workers to work for them, or made investments to create a profit.
What was housing like for rich children in Victorian times?
Wealthy families lived in large Victorian houses three and sometimes four stories high with several rooms. They had more than one bathroom and even had flushing toilets. They usually had servants that performed all the duties including cleaning the house, washing clothes and cooking supper.
Who was the richest person in Victorian times?
Sir John Ellerman, 1st Baronet.
What did rich Victorians do for fun?
Sporting pastimes, such as cycling, rowing and horseracing were also popular, and large crowds would often attend sailing events like the Henley Regatta and famous horse races such as the Epsom Derby. One of the largest events of the Victorian calendar was the famous Great Exhibition, held in 1851.
Where did upper class Victorians live?
Rich Victorians lived in large houses that were well heated and clean. Children got a good education either by going away to school or having a governess who taught them at home (this is usually how girls were educated). Wealthy people could also afford to buy beautiful clothes.
Are there still poor houses?
Most remaining poor farms and poorhouses closed in the 1930s and 1940s, though a few remained in places like Texas until the 1970s. Though the poorhouses are no longer, their memory is preserved in testimony by people like Anne Sullivan.
Where did the rich Victorians live in London?
… Of high genteel neighbourhoods, Baker Street, Gloucester Street, Portman Square, the swarm of little streets nestling at the verge of Park Lane and those lying between St. James’s Street and the Great Park, may be taken as examples.
Did Victorian houses have bathrooms?
In fact, Victorian architecture did not make provision for bathrooms and most Victorian terraced houses in cities such as London didn’t even boast a bathroom. For many, the weekly ablutions meant a trip to the public baths.
What were Victorian bedrooms like?
Victorian bedrooms often had an area where the person would get dressed, usually behind a decorative screen which would obscure their modesty from the rest of the room. This can be useful in a period style bedroom to hide mess and clutter.
Why were Victorian houses so dark?
Plus, before the advent of color-fast materials and disposable Ikea furniture, Victorian homes could be dark places–people used heavy curtains to protect their rugs and furniture from being bleached by the sun.
Did rich Victorians go to school?
How were rich Victorian children educated? At the start of the Victorian era, very few children actually attended school. Children from rich families would be educated at home by a governess (a female teacher).
What did rich Victorian ladies do?
Their allotted goal in life was to marry, have children and raise them in an appropriate and respectful manner. This in itself was seen to be sufficient fulfillment for an upper class woman and the role of devoted wife and mother was highly idealized in Victorian Britain.
Did rich Victorians have servants?
The Victorian period in Britain saw a peak in the numbers of servants employed in households. All upper class houses had several servants, and most middle class households aspired to have at least one or two servants.
Did rich Victorian children have servants?
For the upper classes, money was not a problem and these families could live however they wished. They lived in large homes with many servants. Children in these families were more often raised by nannies or nurses.
Who was the lowest class in Victorian Britain?
The Victorians liked to have their social classes clearly defined. The working class was divided into three layers, the lowest being ‘working men‘ or labourers, then the ‘intelligent artisan’, and above him the ‘educated working man’.