Conditions In The Early 19th Century Towns example essay topic

Within the working class areas of industrial towns such as Birmingham, Manchester and Liverpool living conditions were very bad indeed in the early 19th century. Poor living conditions were due to insufficient planning, bad housing, poor sewerage disposal, inadequate water supplies, and diseases. Bad planning led to poor living conditions in towns in the early 19th century because of a rapid growth in industrialisation. Local authorities had very little employers and experienced employers and so they had weak knowledge and judgement to enforce regulations, which would deal with new methods. Back to back housing was created to pack as many houses in as possible and cheaply as could be done, forgetting simple things e.g. deep foundations to make the housing sound, but were 'jerry built'.

Yet poor sewerage disposal conditions were not new as they were the same in the countryside. Most of the rich members of the council and citizens did not want high rates of taxes but to keep them low and controlled and so consequently new sewers, water supplies and general better living conditions did not happen. Due to the over crowding, bad housing, sewers and poor water supplies many health epidemics broke out, ignorance of not understanding the diseases did not help this. Links needed to be made. The worst aspect of early 19th century living conditions was the poor housing.

Poor ventilation caused the air to be unable to circulate resulting in bad smells from out side mixing in the air, damp of the houses caused infections to the chest with the stale air and damp living conditions. Families of up to six or more were cramped into the small areas of 4 mx 4.3 m and 3.4 mx 2.6 m due to the lack of money. Few houses had water supply and so many had to go and get water on a daily basis. The water was often or always polluted and caring disease. Rivers and streams carrying refuse and waste from the area often used by the poor to get water along with wells again filled with pools of refuse, or they would collect rain water in tubs and baths which got polluted by soot and smoke.

The unpaved streets held the town's sewage in mud alleys leading to streams and rivers. There was no sewage system e.g. sewers and toilets. This was a large threat and cause of infection and diseases. Out breaks of disease such as smallpox, typhoid, diphtheria, influenza and cholera caused problems and a major health disaster. People were not prepared to cope with the outbreaks, did not realise the awfulness of the conditions of the towns, and so did not change when diseases broke out. However, not every inhabitant of an early 19th century town experiences bad living conditions.

The rich and poor indeed became very divided even the rich became divided in to middle and upper class. The upper class being able to afford large detached house on a hill above the awful conditions of the town below and away from the waste and putrid smells. The middle classes lived in terraced houses with a garden and live in servant creating a cleaner and healthier environment. Many towns were made to spa towns like Malvern and cheatham. These were of a higher quality compared to most and better / cleaner to live in they would architecturally prettier and safer. The streets had sewage systems and sanitation to keep cleaner and healthier.

Of course, any assessment of living conditions in the early 19th century towns must make comparison with the conditions experienced by these in rural conditions. If the conditions of towns were so repulsive the state of rural villages were very bad to make people move to the towns. The countryside was very damp and unhealthy to live in as well as being cold and dirty. The cottages were small with no sanitation and leisure activities near. Most dwellers did not realise the awful conditions of towns until they arrived there but put up with the conditions for the sake of higher wages from urban jobs so towns were money and socially better than living in the countryside. Finally, whilst in many respects little had been done to improve living conditions in towns by the mid 19th century, one step had been taken by the government in 1848.

This was the 1848 public health act. This improved towns by setting up a board of health, which could be made if over 10% of ratepayers agreed. The act recommended glazed earth ware pipes for new sewerage systems, which was cheaper and more hygienic. The act made sure public health was at the top of politician's agenda to make awareness of the issue.

In the early 19th century living conditions of towns were very poor and disgusting compared with the standard of living conditions to day. Public health was a large concern and mainly caused by poor housing and sewage many of the conditions were brought from the rural dwellers and people put up with them for the sake of wages. The conditions caused a dramatic visual divide between the rich and poor. The living conditions were very bad and needed to be improved by simple measure. Ignorance was greatly to blame and so caused living conditions in towns to be worse as more people had to live in these ghastly conditions. j.