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The Railway Children Victorian Community Heritage Project
The Railway children community heritage project was a six-month project bringing members of the local community together to explore what life was like in Colchester and the surrounding villages during the Victorian times. We worked with the Essex Records Office and East Anglian Railway Museum to learn how to research as Historians, access and use artefacts and archives before devising a short theatrical performance and free education resource to share with the community. The project was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
And the Project starts…
Engaging with the Community:
Right from the outset it was important for us to capture the attention of local people and encourage them to get involved and learn about the past. In preparation for the project, we used several tried and tested strategies as part of our public engagement strategy. These included:
-Posters and leaflets
-Social media (Our Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages
-Library displays
-Invites to past members of our heritage projects
-Meet and greet sessions at local community groups
-Posters displayed at local Universities and LSE Library
-Word of mouth
And many more…
Working with The Essex Records Office and The East Anglian Railway Museum
We carried out workshops and a guided tour around the Essex Records Office and the East Anglian Railway Museum and were taught how to use their archives to develop a further understanding of how people used to live locally during the Victorian times. Our workshops focused upon exploring the way of life including the different social classes, the jobs people used to do, fashion and past times, school life. We made comparisons between the village and town life, explores transport and the railway. We explored a range of different artefacts and archives which the Essex Records Office and the East Anglian Railway Museum has as part of their wonderful resources. These workshops helped us to focus our ideas, aims and to create a set of historical enquiry questions to research.
Check out our Members Blog Entries here:
A brief outline of Colchester during the Victorian times
What was it like living in Colchester during the Victorian times?
Colchester and its surrounding area are full of Victorian buildings and architecture. The Victorian period was a busy and prosperous period in the city's history which saw the population more than triple, in part due to the arrival of the railway, and in part due to the establishment of a permanent military garrison. The Victorian era brought with it sights familiar across the country including new industry that shaped the city for years to come, and rows of terraced housing on the outskirts of the city centre that remain standing and well used today.
Today, the most notable Victorian additions dominate the city's skyline with both Jumbo Water Tower and Colchester Town Hall watching over the city centre. Additionally, Colchester's Castle Park was established in this period - a treasure trove history, with its decorative bandstand being perhaps its most typically Victorian feature.
Further afield, the Chappel Viaduct is an impressive piece of Victorian engineering, built to support the newly arrived railway. Sitting next to it is the East Anglian Railway Museum which celebrates this golden age of rail travel with a recreation of the Victorian station as well as regular event days when steam train run.
…in more detail:
Colchester was able to avoid the extreme environmental and health problems suffered by many other towns in the 19th century. This was probably due to the fact that their population and industry expanded comparatively gradually, and there was space for growth. In fact, between 1835 and 1911 the number of houses increased from 3,292 to 9,218. In 1835 buildings were concentrated in the central area within and around the town wall, with some small development along the roads leading out of the town, especially on those leading eastwards towards Greenstead and the Hythe. The rest of the borough was mainly rural consisting of farmland.
In the mid-19th century smaller houses, mainly in terraces, were built south and east of the town wall often on poorly drained low ground, and larger houses on more desirable sites to the west, beginning a spatial divide of the social classes which had previously lived close together in the central area. A few houses were also built near Colchester North railway station and in gaps along the main roads. Between 1876 and 1914 the rate of house-building increased, there was significant industrial and commercial development, and the barracks were extended. Almost all development was south of the river Colne, which, reinforced by the railway line, formed a natural barrier between the town centre and the north part of the borough. Under public health legislation the improvement commissioners, and from 1874 the borough council, provided drainage, improved streets in the town centre, investigated industrial and other nuisances, inspected slum houses, and approved plans for new building, but town planning and wider housing powers remained permissive before the First World War.
Standards improving:
Much new housing was of a good standard, but overcrowded and insanitary older accommodation remained, often around confined courtyards, particularly in the centre, and east and south of the town, and that facilitated the spread of infectious diseases. The road from the town to the Hythe was notorious for poor housing. In 1898 the medical officer of health considered that some new houses, built quickly and cheaply and sometimes on unfavourable sites, were so small that they created fresh overcrowding.
Trading:
In the 19th century most of the old and new trades and industries were carried on in workshops, factories, and foundries in the town centre and the Stanwell Street area, and there were breweries at East Hill and North Hill. Later in the century when there was insufficient land available for industry in the central area, some new factories were built further out, like Paxman's opened at the Hythe in 1873 and George's shoe factory built in New Town in 1881. The Hythe, with its wharves and warehouses, had always been important for the port trade, but from the mid-19th century new industry was increasingly located there: the gasworks were built in 1838, the sewage works in 1884, and four new engineering factories between 1899 and 1907. Shops, inns, and commercial services were concentrated in the town centre. As trade increased and more space was required for business, some residents moved out of the central area: between 1831 and 1901 population fell in St. Nicholas's and St. Runwald's and remained almost the same in St. Martin's, all central parishes, while it increased in all other parishes. Corner shops, bakeries, and new public houses were built in the new streets beyond the town centre to serve the people living there and the soldiers from the barracks.
New buildings emerging:
The number of public buildings increased as the town grew. The grammar school moved in 1853 to new buildings by H. H. Hayward on the south side of Lexden Road, and many new schools were built, including the board schools by Goodey and Cressall in Barrack Street in 1896, at St. John's green in 1898, and in John Harper Street in 1900. St. Botolph's church was rebuilt in 1837, St. Mary Magdalen's in 1854, and St. Michael's Mile End in 1854-5, and new churches were built: St. John the Evangelist's Ipswich Road in 1863, and St. Paul's Belle Vue Road in 1869. Most other churches were restored. New landmarks in the town included the workhouse on Balkerne Hill opened in 1837, the Essex and Colchester hospital opened in Lexden Road in 1820 with its later extensions, the Eastern Counties' asylum at Essex Hall built originally as a railway hotel, and at Mile End in the north the infectious diseases hospital and Severalls lunatic asylum opened in 1884 and 1913. Jumbo, the water tower built in 1883, became a dominant feature of the town, and provided a new view at the west end of High Street. There were significant changes in High Street: a new town hall replaced the old moot hall in 1845 and was itself replaced by another new building in 1902; the Albert Hall was built at the west end in 1845, originally as an additional corn exchange. A new corn exchange was built next door to the town hall in 1884. High Street was cleared of some obstructions: the obelisk was removed in 1858, the cattle market was relocated at Middleborough in 1862, and Middle Row shops and St. Runwald's church were demolished in 1857 and 1878. The tramway system also affected the appearance of the streets on the tram routes from 1904.
HELPFUL RESOURCES:
Information sheet:
Images from Victorian Colchester
Watch this cool video which we found whilst researching of various photographs and film footage exploring Victorian Colchester created by the amazing Patrick Denney
People’s roles in Victorian times
One of the key areas of our research was to investigate the different roles which people undertook during the Victorian times. This was heavily influenced by the social class system. As part of our enquiry stage, each of our participants focused on investigating one particular character / role within the Victorian town or village which we would have found alive in Colchester at the time. These included:
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Maids
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Cooks
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Butlers
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School Teachers / Governess
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The Victorian Lady
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The Policeman
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The Doctor
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The Station Master
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A farmer
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Victorian child (Poor class)
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Victorian child (Upper class)
Another influence was family life. If you were born into the Middle or Upper classes in the Victorian era, you would usually have been brought up by nurses and governesses. Parents didn't always have much contact with their children. Men were expected to earn the money, while women took charge of running a household. Manners and respect were of great importance during this time, and children would mainly address their father or other males as 'Sir.' Children were expected to be well-behaved and respectful, with strict discipline and education a crucial part of their upbringing. A typical quote during this time was, ' Children should be seen and not heard.'
Religion was also important during the Victorian era, with Christianity playing a central role in society. Church attendance was high, and religious values were often reflected in politics.
We then each presented our research to the rest of the group before it was used to create an information page which can be found in this learning pack.
Our participants then created an audio file in character giving an insight into that characters role in the Victorian times.
The Maid
During the 19th century, maids played
a crucial role in households,
particularly in upper-class and
middle-class families. They were
responsible for various tasks that
encompassed maintaining the
cleanliness and order of the
household, managing the daily chores,
and helping the lady of the house.
A maid’s duties included cleaning and dusting, sweeping, and mopping floors, washing laundry by hand, ironing clothes, cooking meals, and serving them to the family. Additionally, they were often tasked with caring for children, running errands, and even assisting with personal grooming.
Click here to hear more about the maid's role
Click here to download our free information page about the maid's role
The Cook
Not only did the cook have
to prepare all the food but it
was her duty to keep the
kitchen in order, including
scrubbing floors and pots
and pans. She may also have
had to help the Housemaid in her duties, such as laying the fires and keeping the house clean and tidy.
From hours before sunrise until late into the night, the kitchen was a beehive of activity in the proper Victorian home. The kitchen was usually a large room with an ample connected pantry and often held sleeping quarters for the cook or the kitchen maid.
Click here to download our free information page about the Cook's role
The Butler
The Domestic worker is generally called a Butler. The upper-class houses are sometimes divided into various departments, Butler normally looks after the dining room, wine cellar, and pantry. The word butler originates from the French word ‘Bouteillier’ which means ‘a bottle-bearer’. Originally a butler was a cupbearer who eventually became the servant in charge of the wine cellar. It was during Victorian England that Butler became the head servant.
Click here to hear more about the Butler's role
Click here to download our free information page about the Butler's role
The Governess
The governess was one of the most familiar figures in mid-Victorian life and literature. The 1851 Census revealed that 25,000 women earned their living teaching and caring for other women’s children. Most governesses lived with their employers and were paid a small salary on top of their board and lodging.
Click here to hear more about the Governess role
Click here to download our free information page about the Governess role
More about the Butler...
One of our members created his own short film detailing the role of the butler as part of his research. You can watch it here:
Ohhhh! She's a lady!
Despite the role of women being quite different in the different social classes, there were some similarities. We explored the role of women was like as part of our research.
In the Victorian era, women were seen, by the middle classes at least, as belonging to the domestic sphere, and this stereotype required them to provide their children and husbands with a clean home, compelled them to prepare meals, and forced mothers to raise their children. Women's rights were extremely limited in this era, losing ownership of their wages, their physical property excluding land property, and all other cash they generated once married.
Click here to download our free information page about the the role which women played from different social classes
Victorian children
After researching what it was like living and working in Colchester during the Victorian times, we also wanted to explore what life was like growing up as a child in Victorian times.
In our research, we quickly found out that life for Victorian Children in Victorian times was nothing like childhood in today’s world. For the wealthy there was an overwhelming sense of boredom and the constant prodding to be proper and polite with very little parent to child communication. For the poor Victorian Children life was much different. The poor children had to work public jobs for their families to survive. Toys were nothing more than homemade dolls or wooden blocks. On the other hand, their family life was tighter knit and more loving.
Children from wealthy families
While the wealthy children may have been spoiled and had a much better life than the poor children, they also had what would seem to be a sad, redundant and affection-less existence.
Children were mostly raised by a nanny who would teach the child what was proper and what was not. Day to day living was nothing more than a lonely monotonous routine and very formal.
Children from poor families
The poor Victorian Children lived a very different life than the children of wealthier families. They didn’t have the nice houses to live in or the extravagant toys, clothes, or fine foods that the rich kids had. They lived in much smaller houses or even single rooms.
Living in these tight quarters caused the family to be much closer. Without the presence of a nanny the parents raised the children and were the guiding force in their lives. This did not always translate to a more loving atmosphere though. Since a large part of the poor children had to work public jobs to help support their families many parents thought of children as income, and having more children who worked raised the income of the home. Many parents had 10 or 12 or even more children for this reason alone.
Click here to download our free information page about Victorian children
~Winston Churchill once said that he could “count the times he had been hugged by his mother” as a child~
Childhood voices
The Chimney sweep:
“I started work when I was 6 years old. My mother sold me to sweep for ten shillings. At first, my knees and elbows were all bleeding from rubbing against the sides of the chimney. It’s very dark in the chimney but I am used to it now. Sometimes, I get very tired and stop climbing. If the master finds out, he lights a fire. The smoke chokes me, and I get done quick.”
The Mill worker:
“I work from five in the morning till eight at night. I started work at seven years old. In the first half year, a weakness fell into my knees and ankle…it got worse and worse…in the morning I could scarcely walk…my brother died from a spinal condition after working long hours in the mill.”
Child labour
What jobs did they do?
Children did various kinds of jobs, and many were unsafe, poorly paid and damaging to
their health. They included:
• chimney sweeps
• domestic servants
• mill workers
• factory workers
• farm hands
• working in coal mines
As part of our project we created some audio clips in character as Victorian children
The Factory Mill Worker
The Chimney Sweeper
The Victorian Railway
In the 19th century, a revolution on rails unfolded in Britain, reshaping the very fabric of society. The Victorian Railway, a marvel of the era, connected Britain like never before. The rollout of rail brought distant towns and cities within reach of each other. transforming how people lived, worked, and interacted. Indeed, the industrial revolution may not have been quite so ‘revolutionary’ if not for this phenomenal advancement to the transport network. So, let’s delve into the fascinating world of Victorian Railways, exploring their development and the profound impact they had on industry and society.
Developing the Victorian Railways
The introduction of railways in Victorian Britain was nothing short of revolutionary. It’s hard to imagine that anyone really knew just how far and wide reaching the effects would be in all areas of life. Widescale rail networks drastically improved commerce by making it easier, faster and more efficient to transport large quantities of goods. Necessities such as fresh produce for example, could now be delivered much further across the country while still remaining fresh. Another knock-on effect of this was cheaper food, and this improved the diet of the poor and working class significantly.
The railways also transformed the reach of mass media and the efficiency of the postal service. Newspapers printed in London would eventually be able to reach Edinburgh on the same day. People could send letters or Christmas cards and expect delivery much quicker than ever before. It was like everything stepped up a gear thanks to the steam locomotive.
The impact on the workforce was also profound. People could now commute to work from neighbourhoods outside of the city. This led to the growth of suburbs and changes in living patterns. Victorian schools became more accessible, and the concept of commuting for education took root – though this was still too expensive for the poor and working class at first.
Train tickets varied in types and pricing, making travel accessible to different social classes. Initially, only the wealthy could afford first-class tickets, but with the introduction of third-class carriages, train travel became a possibility for the working class. The number of people using trains surged throughout the Victorian era, reflecting the growing reliance on this mode of transport.
Find out more about the Victorian Railways on our free Information page with activities here:
12 Fun Victorian Railway Facts
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The first train journey had a top speed of just 15 mph.
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Early trains didn’t have toilets!
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The term ‘train station’ was originally coined in the Victorian era.
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Queen Victoria was the first monarch to travel by train in 1842.
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The London Underground, the world’s first subway, opened in 1863.
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Railway time led to the standardization of time zones in Britain.
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The Flying Scotsman, starting in 1862, was the world’s first non-stop train.
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In 1892, the final stages of the old broad-gauge network were converted to standard gauge in just one weekend.
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The Victorians invented the railway buffet car.
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The first railway murder occurred in 1864, capturing public attention and fear.
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£3 billion was spent on building the railways from 1845 to 1900.
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By the end of Queen Victoria’s reign, over 1.1 billion passenger journeys were commuted on trains annually.
George Hudson: The Railway King
The Rise and Fall of a Railway Tycoon
George Hudson, known as the
‘Railway King,’ was a central figure in
the expansion of Britain’s railway
network during the Victorian era.
Starting out his career as a draper,
Hudson invested in the fledgling
railway industry early, and quickly
amassed significant wealth and
influence. His role in setting up
the Railway Clearing House in
1842 was pivotal in bedding the roots for a more robust and modern railway network.
Hudson was a key player in the development of several major lines, and amalgamated lots of smaller lines (a precursor to setting up the RCL) too. His empire collapsed in the late 1840s amid financial irregularities and scandal, highlighting the volatile nature of railway investment during this period.
The role of the Station Master
After our visit to the Railway Museum, one of our members was inspired to explore the role of the Station master in more depth. We used his research to create a short film to share what he learnt.
We've also put together an information page with activities which you can download for free here:
Chappel & Wakes Colne railway station
As part of our research, we visited the East Anglian Railway Museum and focused part of our learning on the Chappel and Wakes Colne Railway Station and its connection with the Victorian era.
The station opened with the opening of the line from Marks Tey to Sudbury as part of the Stour Valley Railway on 2 July 1849, with the name Chappel; it was renamed Chappel and Wakes Colne on 1 October 1914.
The 1861 census shows Samuel Hamblin as the resident stationmaster. He appears to have fallen foul of the railway authorities at some stage as he is shown working in Poplar as an engine driver in the 1871 census. The 1871 census records 29-year-old Alfred H. Bryant as the resident stationmaster. The 1881 census shows 45-year-old George William Grand as the stationmaster, a position he held until at least 1891.
Chappel Viaduct
Sitting just to the south of the station is the outstanding feature on the line, the 1,066-foot (325 m) long viaduct consisting of 32 arches each having a 30-foot span and standing 75 feet above the valley floor. Built at a cost of £32,000 it contains seven million bricks. The 1851 census records that a foreman bricklayer and several labourers were living in huts adjacent to the viaduct. The vast majority of the bricks had been manufactured on-site using local clay.
We've put together an information page all about the Chappel train Station and its local connection with the Victorian era.
We've put together an information page all about the Chappel Viaduct and its local connection with the Victorian era.
The Navvies
The men who built the railways
Railway mania took place during the 1840s in the UK. During this time, railway constriction was at its height. Navvies were the men who formed embankments, built tracks, viaducts, tunnels, bridges, stations and goods yards. They played a crucial role in the formation of the railway network which we still use today. The Navvies were responsible for building the Chappel Viaduct.
Find out more about who the Navvies were and why they had such a bad reputation by listening to our audio blog
Or you can download our free information page here:
The Victorian Rural life: Farming
One of our aims for this project was to compare life in the rural villages surrounding Colchester and life within the town itself.
Farming was an integral part of life in Victorian times. In 1837 when Queen Victoria came to the throne, more than half the population of Great Britain worked in the countryside. Each village had a hierarchy with the squire being the local landowner. The tenant farmer was socially somewhere between a labourer and a landowner. At the lower end of the social and economic ladder were the farm labourers.
Living conditions
Living conditions for Victorian farm workers were often cramped and basic. They had their own small vegetable garden and kept a pig to feed the family.
Gleanings of corn were collected after the harvest and used to make flour and bread and they would make their own cider, ale and wine from fruit such as elderberries.
Even children worked hard on the farm from as young as six years old. Boys would be employed to scare the birds from the crops, guard the livestock from straying, pick hops, sow potatoes and beans, gather mushrooms and herd animals to market.
They would also collect firewood, fill sacks with grain and shred turnips. With age, they would progress to ploughing and other hard physical tasks. At harvest time everyone lent a hand making hay or harvesting crops. In the 1850s a local farm labourer earned six shillings a week (30 pence!) Breakfast was a poor porridge of flour, butter, and water. At midday, they would eat bread and occasionally a piece of cheese. Supper was bread or potatoes and sometimes a piece of bacon. At harvest time he was given a jug of beer by his master.
Craftsmen on the Farm
Craftsmen such as carpenters, tanners and blacksmiths all had useful trades which were needed on Victorian farms and would usually be hired in locally. The blacksmith would forge bars, hooks and metalwork as well as making horseshoes and tools. The wheelwright made cartwheels and wagons. Woodworkers made furniture, fence posts, gates, pegs, wooden bowls, and wooden clogs to which the blacksmith added metal tips.
Saddlers, coachmen and coopers (barrel-makers) all played their part in Victorian farm life.
Victorian farmers were considered an essential part of the economy and workforce, particularly in rural communities. The farmers paid rent to the landlord, paid tithes and employed many labourers who otherwise would have been unemployed. They, in turn, kept local shops and tradesmen in business.
Victorian farms prospered until the early 1880s and then came a series of bad harvests and outbreaks of disease in their animals. Many farms that had been in business for generations went bankrupt and it was not until the end of the 1880s that farming began to prosper again.
You can read more about rural life in our free information page here:
Fashion during the Victorian times
Victorian fashion refers to the various fashions and trends in British culture in the United Kingdom and the British Empire throughout the Victorian era, roughly 1830s to 1900s. The period saw many changes in fashion, including changes in clothing, architecture, literature, and visual arts. In the early days of the fashion, female dresses were simple and pale. Modesty was a very important feature of Victorian Fashion, dresses that covered the arms and went right down to the ankles were favoured.
By 1907, clothing was increasingly factory-made and often sold in large, fixed price department stores. Custom sewing and home sewing were still significant, but on the decline. New machinery and materials developed clothing in many ways.
The introduction of the lockstitch sewing machine in mid-century simplified home and boutique dressmaking. It made it easy to add trimmings which would be costly if done by hand. Lace machinery made lace at a fraction of the cost of the old hand-made lace. Inventors developed new, cheap, bright dyes like mauveine which replaced the old animal or vegetable dyes.
Styles - Women's clothing:
The Corset:
The neckline
Crinoline:
Other features included the Bustle and sleeves. For men, the main features were hats, shoes and gloves. Just as women’s fashion depicted ideas surrounding a woman’s role in society, men’s fashion was designed to do the same, reflecting Victorian ideals of masculinity. Similarly, the different social classes wore different styles, distinguishing them from one another. Victorian men, like women, had different styles of clothing to be worn at different times of the day and had specific types of hats, gloves, and jackets to be worn when hunting, working, traveling, and so forth.
You can learn more about the Victorian fashion by downloading our free information page here:
What did the Victorian's do for fun?
During Queen Victoria’s reign big changes took place in the way people spent their leisure time. Blood sports like bear baiting and cockfighting were banned. With the growth of the railways, people began to travel more and visiting the seaside became a popular pastime. But the railways also allowed local sporting teams to travel and so sports like cricket, football and rugby began to be organised with agreed rules and national competitions, such as the FA Cup. Lawn Tennis was invented in the 1830s and a new sight on the streets of Victorian Britain was the bicycle, in its various different designs.
There were still old favourites such as going to the circus or the theatre but the invention of the moving picture during the 1890s meant that a new dimension was added to theatregoing.
In our research, we used both the Essex Records Office and The National Archives to find posters, pictures and photographs to understand how the Victorians enjoyed their leisure time.
Past times included:
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Visiting the travelling circus
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Going to the seaside
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Playing cricket
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Playing and watching football (FA cup)
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Tennis
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Cycling
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Playing croquet
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Boxing
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Going to the theatre (Panto’s!)
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Grand Volunteer Tournament and Military Fete
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Baking cakes
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Early days of cinema
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Rowing and boat races
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Fishing
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Sailing
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Horse racing.
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Dancing and going to the Music Hall.
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Reading
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Singing at home
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Embroidery and needlepoint
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Going to the pub (Public house)
We also made a short film about Victorian past-times which you can watch here:
Or you can download our free information page here:
Sharing what we have learnt
Applying our research to help others
Developing a lasting long-term ‘legacy’ of our community project was always part of our core aims of this project. We set out to explore what life was like during the Victorian times locally and then to inspire others through sharing what we have learnt.
In this project we have:
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Created opportunities for members of our community to learn more about what life was like locally during the Victorian times.
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Encouraged people to become Historians, learning more about their local heritage.
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Worked with the Essex Records Office introducing our participants to the Essex Records Office, helping them to access local archives and how to use them.
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Worked with the East Anglian Railway Museum developing an understanding of how to get the most from visiting a museum and how to use the artefacts they have to offer in our learning.
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Developed a free education / learning resource pack for our community to use. These materials can be accessed for free on our website and have been shared with the Essex Records Office.
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Created a set of Audio clips in character describing the different roles of people living during the Victorian times including:
- Butler
- A Maid
- A Governess
- Station Master
- Mrs Perks, The Station Masters wife
- Doctor
- Phyllis, A rich child
- The Chimney Sweep
- The Mill worker child
These audio clips have been shared as part of our free education / learning resource pack for our community to use. These materials can be accessed for free on our website and have been shared with the Essex Records Office.
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Created a collection of short films which we have shared as part of our free education / learning resource pack for our community to use. These materials can be accessed for free on our website.
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Devised a short performance evening which was showcased locally inspired by “The Railway Children” novel by E. Nesbit and what we have learnt during this project.
Pictures taken from our show cases
FREE EDUCATIONAL / LEARNING RESOURCE PACK
As part of our project aims, we have put together a special learning resource pack sharing what we have learnt along with suggested activities for our local community including schools and students to use for FREE.
A copy of this pack has also been donated to the Essex Record Office with the hope of preserving the legacy of our project for the long-term. A copy of this pack can be downloaded for free here:
This project was kindly supported by:
