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Victorian Leicester : Episode 2 - Housing and Health 1 |
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| This audio recording is the second to a series of talks about Victorian Leicester, originally made for schools, in the early 1970s.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 episode, the speaker, Professor Jack Simmons examines the subject of housing and sanitation during the period. He begins by stating that those living close to or below the subsistence level, made up a large part of the town in the 1830s and 1840s, about a quarter to a third of whom were receiving poor relief. He describes how the buildings they lived in were referred to as “rookeries, very old, often filthy and dilapidated. These lodging houses were often centres for disease and crime. But despite the poor conditions, Professor Simmons points out that housing in Leicester was actually better than in many other towns; with no cellar-dwellings, relatively wide streets and numerous private gardens even in the centre. However, there was still a high death rate in Leicester, which was attributed to the lack of sanitation and an adequate water supply. The Professor outlines the struggle to provide an adequate system of sewerage for the town, with a system of sorts established in 1855. Problems with discharge into the river however remained a great problem until 1884 when pollution reached a high point. We learn of several schemes aiming to combat the issue, and the subsequent building of sewerage works in use by 1890. The Professor goes on to describe many specific buildings, developments, housing areas and factories in Leicester, which are discussed further in the second half of this episode. There are references made to pictures in an art exhibition which was on display at the time of broadcast in conjunction with the talks; 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.: 130, RL100/0002/2-9VL). Further information can be found at http://www.le.ac.uk/emoha This audio recording last 17 minutes and 1 second. |
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| Creators: |
Speaker - Simmons, Professor Jack
Producer - Cobley, Paul
Other - BBC
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Subject: |
Civil Society
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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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If your browser can’t display the graphical link above to the translator, you may translate this page by going to the Babelfish website and pasting the address for this page into the box marked “Translate a web page”. |
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