industrial revolution

             Why were living conditions so poor in industrial towns in
             There were many reasons why living conditions were very bad in industrial towns in Britain during the 1830's, firstly population increase. Between the years of 1801 and 1851 the population of Britain doubled from 10.5 million to 20.8 million. This was the fastest period of population increase Britain had ever seen. But some areas- the North-west, North-east, Midlands and London, South-Wales and Southern Scotland- were all growing even faster than average. The areas mentioned above were mainly industrial, with several rapidly expanding towns, such as Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield. One of the fastest growing cities was Manchester, which grew from a small village in 1700 to be the centre of the cotton industry in1800. Its population increased three times between 1773 and 1801. Smaller 'satellite' towns which surrounded the biggest towns grew also, Manchester's growth for example was mirrored by nearby Stockport, Oldham and Bolton. Small communities such as these grew so fast that the percentage of people living in towns of 5 000 or more rose from 25 per cent in 1815 to 50 per cent by 1850. Many towns grew far too quickly for proper planning, and serious social problems resulted for the people who lived there. The government held a series of public investigations and published the results in reports called the Blue Books.
             Official census figures showing population
             Overcrowding was also a key problem. A report on the health of towns in 1840 recorded 15 000 in Manchester and 39 000 in Liverpool living in one room cellars.
             Some greedy builders 'threw together' buildings to make quick, overnight profits. Others had little money and did not see it as their responsibility to lay sewers etc. New housing was not always readily available and workers found themselves living in overcrowded old houses, which had seen better d...

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