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Public health and medicine during the Industrial Revolution: the challenges and successes of this period in terms of health

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Public health and medicine during the Industrial Revolution: the challenges and successes of this period in terms of health

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The Industrial Revolution put many more people at risk of the health hazards caused by industry.  The factory act of 1838, however, was the first truly effective measure in the industrial field to try and rectify this. The spectacular improvement in the expectation of life in affluent countries has been due far more to public health measures such as this, than to curative medicine. The National Health Service Act of 1946 and its subsequent legislation led to the creation of the National Health Service in Great Britain.

Watch this short video about health issues during the Industrial Revolution:

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What Hygiene Was Like During the Industrial Revolution

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Urban planning and Victorian Architecture: the birth of the architectural profession 

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Urban planning and Victorian Architecture: the birth of the architectural profession 

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The architectural profession is largely a Victorian creation. The identity of the profession was cemented by the creation in 1834 of the Institute of British Architects (from 1837 the Royal Institute of British Architects).  British town planning grew out of the issues concerned with late Victorian capitalism and the urban problems of the turn of the century. British town planning finally took on a recognizable form in the context of tackling the problem of housing the working classes, with the statutory provisions of the 1909 Act which permitted a measure of land-use control of suburban areas.

A Victorian slum in London

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Postcards from the Industrial Revolution: a clear image of how industry is impacting on the environment during the Industrial Revolution

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Postcards from the Industrial Revolution: a clear image of how industry is impacting on the environment during the Industrial Revolution

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This postcard titled Early Morning on the Don, Sheffield, describes how the early morning rays of sun are having to force their way through ‘the smoke and heat of a thousand furnace fires’. It was printed between 1903 and 1959 and was published by Raphael Tuck & Sons.

Early morning on the Don, Sheffield

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August von Wille (1828 – 1887): an important artist from Germany depicting the same trends as in Great Britain

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August von Wille (1828 – 1887): an important artist from Germany depicting the same trends as in Great Britain

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August Levin von Wille was a German landscape painter, genre artist and illustrator. In 1870 he captured a scene of Barmen in Germany which was also undergoing an industrial transformation at the time.

Barmen, seen from the Ehrenberg, by von Wille

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Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775 – 1851): a world-famous artist who created vivid and expressive paintings of the times

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Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775 – 1851): a world-famous artist who created vivid and expressive paintings of the times

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William Turner was an English Romantic painter, printmaker and watercolourist. He is known for his expressive images, imaginative landscapes and turbulent, often violent marine paintings. His print of Dudley (in the Black Country) from 1835 puts the industrial activity firmly in the foreground, emphasising the landscape of the time.

Dudley, by Turner

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John Constable (1776 – 1837): a landscape painter who included locations from areas experiencing an industrialisation

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John Constable (1776 – 1837): a landscape painter who included locations from areas experiencing an industrialisation

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John Constable was an English landscape painter. He is known principally for revolutionising the genre of landscape painting with his pictures of Dedham Vale, the area surrounding his home, now known as "Constable Country", which included The Stour Valley. This scene had special significance as the River Stour was central to his father’s transportation business.

#The Valley of the Stour, by Constable

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Art during the Industrial Revolution: this period produced some magnificent works of art

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Art during the Industrial Revolution: this period produced some magnificent works of art

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Some famous artists from this period include Constable, Turner, and von Wille who captured the changing landscapes of the time. Postcards were also popular at this time and many represented the shift to industrialisation across the country.

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William Cobbett: the author of Rural Rides and politician interested in farm labourers’ rights

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William Cobbett: the author of Rural Rides and politician interested in farm labourers’ rights

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William Cobbett was an English pamphleteer, farmer and journalist  who believed that reforming Parliament and abolishing the ‘rotten boroughs’ would help to end the poverty of farm labourers. He is best known for his book from 1830, Rural Rides. Between 1821 and 1836 William Cobbett toured the southern English countryside by foot and on horseback, and Rural Rides is his remarkable account of what he saw. Cobbett matured into a radical left-wing politician, and a farmer who ensured his labourers had access to the three Bs: bacon, bread and beer.

Rural Rides

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7.	Jane Austen (1775 – 1917): a novelist who shone a light on ordinary people in everyday life

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7.	Jane Austen (1775 – 1917): a novelist who shone a light on ordinary people in everyday life

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Jane Austen was an English writer who first gave the novel its distinctly modern character through her treatment of ordinary people in everyday life. She vividly depicted English middle-class life during the early 19th century. The Industrial Revolution is not mentioned specifically, but was implied for example with more rapid means of transportation.

Watch a short documentary about Jane Austen’s works here:

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Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870): an author who detailed urban life during the Industrial Revolution 

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Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870): an author who detailed urban life during the Industrial Revolution 

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Charles Dickens was a British novelist, journalist, editor, illustrator and social commentator who wrote such beloved classic novels as Oliver Twist, A Christmas Carol, Nicholas Nickleby, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations. Dickens is remembered as one of the most important and influential writers of the 19th century. He provided a stark portrait of the Victorian-era underclass, helping to bring about social change. He covered topics such as housing and housing conditions. His works have also been made into many film and television adaptations.

Compare these clips to see how they have been interpreted over the years.

Oliver Twist: https://youtu.be/ulKAAJWVFDc

Bleak House: https://youtu.be/I_9SBBK4KzI

The Mystery of Edwin Drood: https://youtu.be/sflzqPja1KY

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William Wordsworth (1770 – 1850): a poet who wrote about the impact of the Industrial Revolution on the natural environment.

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William Wordsworth (1770 – 1850): a poet who wrote about the impact of the Industrial Revolution on the natural environment.

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William Wordsworth was one of the founders of English Romanticism and one its most central figures and important intellects. Wordsworth’s deep love for the “beauteous forms” of the natural world was established early and he was known as a poet concerned with the human relationship to. In his reflections on the changing times, he wrote a letter to Catherine Clarkson (June 4, 1812), where Wordsworth blamed not social institutions but people themselves for the ills of society: “As to public affairs; they are most alarming ... The [Prince Regent] seems neither respected or beloved; and the lower orders have been for upwards of thirty years accumulating in pestilential masses of ignorant population; the effects now begin to show themselves.

William Wordsworth

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Literature and poetry: the British Romantic movement

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Literature and poetry: the British Romantic movement

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During the period of the Industrial Revolution, the British Romantic movement in literature and art was developing rapidly. Famous writers and poets from the time include Wordsworth, Dickens, Coleridge, and Austen. Other voices were also present in more political and activist roles, such as Cobbett.

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The Black Country: a highly industrial area of England

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The Black Country: a highly industrial area of England

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The first recorded mention of the Black Country was by Lichfield Cathedral ‘s Rev William Gresley in his 1846 novel Colton Green: A Tale of the Black Country, though the term was already well-known by then. The Black Country, in the West Midlands region of the United Kingdom, is believed to have taken its name from the black soot that would emanate from its factories, while other people claim that the 30-foot-thick coal seam was also the reason. Follow this link to find out more about The Black Country:

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The Black Country, the industrial heart of England, boasts plenty of historical heritage, but from where did its name originate? Read on as we delve into the history of the Black Country and the areas within its boundaries.

The West Midlands is world-renowned as a leading industrial region, with anything from steel and coal to brick and iron produced in its many factories, forges and foundries.

The Black Country is believed to have taken its name from the black soot that would emanate from its aforementioned factories, while other people claim that the 30-foot-thick coal seam was also the reasoning behind the name.

While the term is believed to have been used since the mid-19th century, it wasn't until 1987 that the local government officially began to call the region the Black Country in a marketing move to bring official recognition to the area, agree on its boundaries and push tourism.

Despite local government stepping in to define the Black Country's official boundaries, it's still a topic of hot debate to many traditionalists.

Today, the Black Country is widely known as covering the metropolitan boroughs of Dudley, Sandwell, Walsall and Wolverhampton - though traditionalists will be quick to tell you that Wolverhampton isn't in the Black Country.

This is because Black Country boundaries are traditionally said to consist of areas where the coal seam comes to the surface. This includes the towns of Bilston, Coseley, West Bromwich, Dudley, Tipton, Wednesbury and Walsall, but not areas like Wolverhampton, Stourbridge and Smethwick as they weren't thought to have coal mines. Despite all that, RR Angerstein's Illustrated Travel Diary (1753-55) shows coal mines in Wolverhampton, so the debate lives on.

However, the Black Country Society is firm in their definition of the Black Country, simply stating that its borders lie on the area of the 30-foot coal seam. They include areas like Smethwick but exclude Wolverhampton and Stourbridge geologically while appreciating them culturally.

At least there's an agreement on one thing - their strong Black Country identity!

Unveiled in 2009, the Black Country tartan, designed by Philip Tibbetts of Halesowen, was the first to start a trend in its regional identification, and shortly after, its official flag followed.

The flag, which represents Elihu Burritt's description of the Black Country as 'black by day and red by night', was unveiled on 14 July 2012. It was later agreed that 14 July should be Black Country Day, a celebration of the region's industrial heritage and coincidentally the anniversary of the invention of the Newcomen steam engine.

The official Black Country anthem, by local band The Empty Can, was released in 2014 - take a listen to 'I Vow To Thee, Black Country' below.

While the industrial side of the Black Country is mostly in the past, the Black Country Living Museum allows history enthusiasts to see what West Midlands life was really like in the 19th century.

Visitors to the reconstructed open-air village can take part in a number of activities, including a silent cinema, underground mine exploration, traditional metal-making demonstrations or even hop on one of the historic Black Country trams.

The Black Country Living Museum was even used as a set for the popular BBC drama Peaky Blinders.

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What Is The Midlands' Black Country and How Did It Get Its Name?

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The Black Country, the industrial heart of England, boasts plenty of historical heritage, but from where did its name originate? Read on as we delve into the history of the Black Country and the areas within its boundaries.

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James Naysmyth (1808 – 1809): an important inventor who helped with the progression of the Industrial Revolution

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James Naysmyth (1808 – 1809): an important inventor who helped with the progression of the Industrial Revolution

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James Nasmyth was a British engineer known primarily for his invention of the steam hammer. The steam hammer immediately became an important part of the metallurgical arsenal of the Industrial Revolution. His private enthusiasm for astronomy led him to a thirty-year observation of the moon and the production of a series of careful drawings which he used to make a model of the moon's surface.

James Nasmyth, engineer,  inventor and astronomist

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The Industrial Revolution: a dynamic and far-reaching period of history

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The Industrial Revolution: a dynamic and far-reaching period of history

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Industrial Revolution, in modern history, the process of change from an agrarian and handicraft economy to one dominated by industry and machine manufacturing. This process began in Britain in the 18th century (for example in The Black Country) and from there spread to other parts of the world. During this time, inventions such as the steam engine, the power loom, and the steam hammer (James Naysmyth) were transforming industrial practices.

Read this article:

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Industrial Revolution | Definition, History, Dates, Summary, & Facts

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Industrial Revolution, in modern history, the process of change from an agrarian and handicraft economy to one dominated by industry and machine manufacturing. The process began in Britain in the 18th century and from there spread to other parts of the world, driving changes in energy use, socioecon…

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Town and country have always been synonymous with man-made environments and nature. While the idea and the actual experience of life in towns and the countryside have changed considerably throughout history, the basic opposition between the two has never disappeared. In poetry (and art), the town’s corruption has often been set against the countryside’s supposed innocence. In the course of the 18th century however, the traditional contrast between town and country took on different, more recognizably modern forms, as the Romantic idea of an unspoiled countryside began to take shape in opposition to the advance of the Industrial Revolution.