4

Dear Christine,

You asked me for help about your school project—the lives of children in Victorian Britain. I was also interested. I searched online and found out the following.

In Victorian Britain, thousands of people came to the cities to work in the factories. Instead of the green, open countryside, people lived in very small houses, very close to each other, with no space for children to play. Families in those days were quite big. Often, there were four or five children in one family, and they all had to sleep in houses of just two rooms. Sometimes, a whole street had to share one outside toilet. Can you imagine that?

Most of the big cities were dirty and unhealthy. The pollution from factories filled the air. People put their rubbish outside in the streets. As a result, there were many illnesses.

And life was harder for children in those times. They didn't always go to school, because they had to work instead. Many children started work in factories when they were only four or five years old. They worked twelve hours a day in dangerous jobs for very little money. Many were hurt in accidents with machines.

I hope this is helpful. Write to me if you need more information.

With love,

Gran