Culture

Victorian Slum House

"Victorian Slum House" takes viewers back to the British slums of the 1800s, where a group of modern-day families, couples, and individuals recreate life in London's East End, just as their forbearers once lived between 1860-1900.

The 1900s

53m 39s

Observe the social changes the slum dwellers face as they move into the 20th century. A few families prosper, but others continue to face the poverty endemic in Britain. See what steps are finally taken to alleviate the plight of the poor.

Episodes

  • The 1900s: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The 1900s

    S1 E5 - 53m 39s

    Observe the social changes the slum dwellers face as they move into the 20th century. A few families prosper, but others continue to face the poverty endemic in Britain. See what steps are finally taken to alleviate the plight of the poor.

  • The 1890s: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The 1890s

    S1 E4 - 54m 12s

    Enter the 1890s, when mass manufacturing and social reform offer a bit of hope for some of the residents, while others are plagued by a water shortage that dashes hopes for a promising laundry business.

  • The 1880s: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The 1880s

    S1 E3 - 54m 10s

    Despite high unemployment and intolerable conditions, people flock to London, desperate for work. When curious upper-class visitors are permitted to visit the slum as tourists, the participants realize how precarious their situation truly is.

  • The 1870s: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The 1870s

    S1 E2 - 54m 9s

    Witness a dire economic depression heightened by the arrival of Irish migrants seeking work. Daily, the slum dwellers toil to fulfill clothing orders and make artificial flowers for factories. Some won’t be able to settle their debts.

  • The 1860s: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The 1860s

    S1 E1 - 54m 10s

    Follow participants as they move into an 1860s tenement made up of sparse rooms, a shared water pump and outhouses. They seek to make a living by matchbox making, wood turning and the rag trade, work once done by their impoverished forebears.

Extras + Features

  • Episode 5 Preview | The 1900s: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 5 Preview | The 1900s

    S1 E5 - 30s

    Observe the social changes the slum dwellers face as they move into the 20th century. A few families prosper, but others continue to face the poverty endemic in Britain. See what steps are finally taken to alleviate the plight of the poor.

  • A Surprise Feast from Edward VII: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    A Surprise Feast from Edward VII

    S1 E5 - 1m 43s

    The slum residents enjoy an unexpected feast when Edward VII's cancelled coronation banquet turns up at their door.

  • Episode 4 Preview | The 1890s: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 4 Preview | The 1890s

    S1 E4 - 30s

    Enter the 1890s, when mass manufacturing and social reform offer a bit of hope for some of the residents, while others are plagued by a water shortage that dashes hopes for a promising laundry business.

  • Andy Loses His Income: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Andy Loses His Income

    S1 E4 - 1m 12s

    The doss-house has been condemned and Andy must find another way to make his living.

  • Russell Struggles with Tailoring: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Russell Struggles with Tailoring

    S1 E4 - 1m 29s

    At Howarth & Son Tailors Russell's struggling with Victorian tailoring techniques. Rebecca and Mandy try to help but Russell decides to join Adrian for a beer.

  • Episode 3 Preview | The 1880s: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 3 Preview | The 1880s

    S1 E3 - 30s

    Despite high unemployment and intolerable conditions, people flock to London, desperate for work. When curious upper-class visitors are permitted to visit the slum as tourists, the participants realize how precarious their situation truly is.

  • Food and Jokes to Pay the Rent: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Food and Jokes to Pay the Rent

    S1 E3 - 1m 21s

    The Potter family tries to flog Victorian street food on the streets of Spittlefields but it's Victorian jokes that go down better.

  • Slum Tourism: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Slum Tourism

    S1 E3 - 2m 6s

    A group of slum tourists take a look at the slum Andy's willing to show them, but Mandy is far less welcoming.

  • Living in a Doss-House: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Living in a Doss-House

    S1 E2 - 55s

    John and Maria spend their first night in the doss-house and John understands the disappointment Victorian Irish immigrants must have felt when arriving in the East End.

  • Episode 2 Preview | The 1870s: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Episode 2 Preview | The 1870s

    S1 E2 - 30s

    Witness a dire economic depression heightened by the arrival of Irish migrants seeking work. Daily, the slum dwellers toil to fulfill clothing orders and make artificial flowers for factories. Some won’t be able to settle their debts.

  • Child Labor in Victorian Britain: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Child Labor in Victorian Britain

    S1 E2 - 1m 42s

    The Howarths need help to finish their tailoring order. They turn to their neighbors and Mandy reflects on the harsh realties of life for poor Victorian children.

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