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Victorian Leicester : Episode 1 - The Town |
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| This audio recording is the introduction to a series of talks about Victorian Leicester, originally made for schools, in the early 1970s. Other episodes in this series are also available on The Showcase. In this initial overview, Professor Jack Simmons introduces the subject, speaking about changes and events within the town during Queen Victoria’s reign, from 1837 to 1901, up to the achievement of city status in 1919. Topics to be covered include housing, health, culture, transport, shopping, wealth and poverty, education and crime. Professor Simmons sets the stage for the series with information about Leicester and it’s huge population expansion during the Victorian age. We hear of how the town’s main industry of hosiery was dominant in the 1830s with virtually no other industrial employment in the area. There is an explanation of the lack of variety leading to trade stagnation, and resultant left wing political activities including the Chartist movement, which led to the nickname of “radical Leicester”. By the end of the age, we learn of how Leicester had become a totally different place, offering a wider diversity of employment. There is an interesting examination of how women and children had been employed as extensively as men throughout the growth period, until the introduction of compulsory education. Leicester remains distinguished as a city with high rates of women’s’ employment throughout the Victorian age. Having began the period as a seedy, overcrowded place with an ill-housed population, by 1900 economic growth within the town had led to striking prosperity with much of the area being rebuilt. This episode is concluded with brief descriptions of the town in terms of its buildings and layout, its general appearance and the surrounding fields on approach to Leicester. There are references made to an art exhibition which was on display at the time of broadcast in conjunction with the series; specific artists and paintings are mentioned which further illustrate the series. The original recording is held by the East Midlands Oral History Archive (EMOHA ref: 129, RL100/0001/1-9VL). Further information can be found at http://www.le.ac.uk/emoha This audio recording last 19 minutes and 32 seconds |
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| Creators: |
Speaker - Simmons, Professor Jack
Producer - Cobley, Paul
Other - BBC
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Subject: |
Civil Society
Community Development
History
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| Contributors: |
East Midlands Oral History Archive - Copyright Holder
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Date created:
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01 / 01 / 1972
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Language:
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English
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Country:
Region:
City:
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United Kingdom
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Rights:
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Community Media Association has non exclusive rights for the use of the work in The Showcase, but the overall copyright rests with East Midlands Oral History Archive. Copyright East Midlands Oral History Archive.
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