What was life like for children in Victorian London?

Victorian children lived very different lives to children today. Poor children often had to work to earn money for their family. As a result, many could not go to school. 

London’s population grew rapidly during the 19th century. This led to major problems with overcrowding and poverty. Disease and early death were common for both rich and poor people.

Victorian children did not have as many toys and clothes as children do today and many of them were homemade.

  1. Introduction (this page)
  2. What work did Victorian children do?
  3. Did Victorian children go to school?
  4. How healthy were Victorian children?
  5. What clothes did Victorian children wear?
  6. What toys did Victorian children play with?
  7. Further information

Download 'What was life like for children in Victorian London' (PDF, 330KB)

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