The Victorian slum

[gingerboy1912]

Anyone watching. It's on bbc2.

As recently as the 1970s, I knew people who lived in houses that had no bathroom. Then, in the early 1980s, there was a government grant scheme, providing grants to anyone whose home had no bathroom and/or no hot water, to enable them to pay for installation of a bathroom, usually downstairs and often in a small lean-to extension on the back of the house.

You've just described my maternal grandparents living arrangements. I lived with them for a while when I was around 6, so that would've been 1980ish and they had an outside lav and no bathroom - can you imagine? It's so hard to even comprehend that people were living like that in our lifetime when these days en suite bathrooms are seen as a necessary requirement for many people.

I didn't know about the Government scheme but they must've had one given the time frame. The old outside lav was knocked down and an extension was built to accommodate the new bathroom, directly off the kitchen! All that time the immaculate 'front room' was kept 'for best', which was basically never, while they had no bathroom and bedpans for night. Such back to front ways.

I suddenly feel very old.

Sorry for that long, self indulgent post. I haven't seen the programme yet, might watch it tonight.

Planning to watch this - sounds interesting. Another one here born in the late 50s who remembers mum using a dolly tub and mangle outside, us having a tin bath in front of the fire, frost on the inside of the windows etc. Makes me feel like a Victorian myself! Amazing how things have changed during my lifetime.

I've watched the first two, marking my place

So has the single mum and her two children left the series?

It looks like it. Which I suppose is realistic. There would have been lots of churn back then. Plus, she didn't seem as in to it as some of the other families.

Obviously I don't agree with child labour (does that even need saying?!) - but I kept wondering why none of the older kids were going 'out' to work. Anyone know?

I was vaguely in the first episode, it was done really well! They could be paid more for their goods when they were selling them but buyers were encouraged to haggle so it did go both ways.

Not sure why single mum left, I means it's a TV show not actually going make them sleep in the rain right? When doss house was empty and so cheap why woulnt you stay there?

Her kids were old enough to be left she didn't have to look after them all day. They all would have been working at that age.

Really enjoying it

The relentlessness is horrendous isn't it? No wonder they were all pissed on cheap gin all the time - there wouldn't be any other way to,survive! Being sober and aware of the coldness, pain and misery would just be unbearable

I was annoyed that the granddad said that making flowers was women's work and he felt even more down by doing this demeaning work!

The Irish and Jewish situation was dire, as was those who were disabled (but not the granddad, he should have been proud that the women in the household were bringing in the money).

The class tourism reminded me of the reality TV shows about people who live in poverty now. Interesting to see it's been going on more than 130 years!

I know what you mean about not showing daily slog. Coal house was so much better with detail and what they actually did. Would been nice see what games children played, how they did washing. I know Irish lady was doing washing but she was saying yes I get it clean for you but didn't show how this was possible!

I think it is more about the economics rather than how they did the washing etc.

That said, there was nothing about the coster-mongers keeping back some of their profit to buy on-going stock.

Did anyone notice the Irish lady? I'm sure she's wearing false eyelashes.

Yep, she definitely has false eyelashes on. I guess they're the semi permenant ones, so don't apply to any make up rules they have set?

This week was really good, so much to cover they have to speed past things but the origins of the labour movement are really interesting IMO

Hmm, just finished watching this. I still think the most interesting parts were the history parts, not watching the participants. My gripe is that it seems all contrived.

At first I thought it awful that the older man had hurt his back doing all that work. It seemed coincidental that his sore back meant he couldn't work the next day and so was a good opportunity to show the effects being too poorly to work had on a family.

I was especially annoyed at them showing the single mum and kids doing a moonlight flit. This was set up (to show that this did happen and again, the effects on the rest of the slum inhabitants) but she seems to be getting a little bit of flak at doing so. I agree that her heart wasn't in it, but I think she was told to be like that, to build up her tic, be a bit lazier than the others .... It just seemed so contrived to show us the effects such a hard life had on people but these are 21st century folks, who go back to their 21st century lives. Knowing it will end soon is so much a comfort than having no end to the poverty and hard slog.

I would just have loved a straight forward documentary. The photo of the people hanging over the ropes was heartbreaking. Andy, the slum rent collector says that the Irish lad slept on the bench with the rope, but I wonder if he really did.

I'd love to know if they did all work hard all day every day. It has a different feel to it than the 'back in time for dinner' when those guys did livethe life all week. That was a great programme.

Can you imagine though? Losing two children in a month and not having the money to bury them? I've just watched the first three episodes and I am finding it all quite heart breaking.
Thank god we have moved on somewhat. Not enough though if you ask me.

I've been watching it and enjoyed it. However would they really put children in a situation where there wasn't any food?

Talking about 'sleeping over the rope', that didn't end so long ago. I was listening to an episode of Handcock's Half Hour on 4extra a while ago and Handcock got into a situation where he couldn't get home and it looked like he was going to have to sleep rough. He went to a doss house but only had enough money to sleep over the rope.
Before the episode the continuity announcer explained what it was.

I'm just watching it.

It's really interesting, isn't it?

I'm surprised that the kids didn't do more-wouldn't the boy from the single mum have done some labouring work-or maybe not strong enough?

I'm hopefull that the guy who hurt his back hadn't really & it was just for "dramatic effect".

It's all planned in advace though, isn't it-who will do what-they are mostly only playing the parts they are given.
I remember a relative of mine only having a bathroom put in in the 70s I think -when you could apply for a grant.

Before that just an outside loo!

Yes, she left in the middle of the night and skipped out on all the people she owed money to. I don't believe she understood the true nature of the show. She was rather self indulgent, getting soup unnecessarily and she was rather lax and lazy. She didn't utilize her assets (the children, who were lazy as well). So instead of sticking it out she bounced (left) sad

The single mom did seem a bit lazy

I really thought the show was great but some of the parents were way too lenient with the children with their labor contribution. The single mother was the worst!, Her kids were constantly laying around doing nothing or a minimal amount of work. She didn't WANT to do this and she didn't WANT to do that. Someone should have told her what she NEEDED to do. One parent said the kids get bored working and get under foot. They should have been told, no work no food. That's how it would have been back then followed by a smack. Lol. No smack but no food if they didn't pull their weight. Hard work builds human character and produces the incentive to meet obligation.