Dickens’ London
to worm its way through a complicated
and intricate labyrinth under difficulties
almost insuperable.”
Steam power made the headlines, but
London’s market was already the cause
and beneficiary of major improvements
prior to that, both in shipping services
and improvements those to the roads.
The efficiency of road freight rose in
particular with the cutting of journey
times through night-time running, which
became more significant in the early
19th century, a period that also saw road
improvements that made such journeys
far less perilous.
The docks, where new immigrants
to the country arrived, were a dramatic
demonstration of London’s global sway,
and one that became steadily more
impressive during the century, with
no other place in the world matching
London’s capability. It was also a major
centre of employment as, more generally,
was the commercial world. Thus, in the
early 19th century, the largest warehouse
labour force in London was that of the
East India Company, with over 3,000
permanent labourers at its peak.Work and poverty
As a whole, however, dock labour was
casual, which increased the strains
on income and life. Unskilled labour
suffered in particular. Alongside the
hardness captured in Our Mutual Friend,
in which the river yields coal, wood,
a basket used to shelter a baby, and
bodies for scavengers, there was also
perpetual tension over discipline and
pilfering. Dockland was very different
to Whitehall or the City as an area of
London, but it was equally important.
It was also more multicultural than any
other part of London. It was in Shadwell
that Dickens visited an opium den to gain
material for the dramatic opening scene
in Edwin Drood.
Dockland was also a centre for social
unrest and confrontations betweenSome classic seasonal traditions introduced by the Victorians
Carols
Carolling had been around for
quite a while, but the puritan
era had seen the practice
lose popularity. The Victorian
period saw a revival, though, as
musical entertainment became
more common and publicly
available. The first major
collection of Christmas carols
was published in 1833.Cards
The first known Christmas card
was illustrated by JC Horsley
and commissioned by Sir Henry
Cole, the first director of the
Victorian & Albert Museum, in- Costing one shilling, it
was far too expensive for most
families, but by 1880, thanks
to cheaper production, it had
become a massive industry.
Tree
Decorating a tree for Christmas
was common in Germany
and something Prince Albert
brought with him to Britain as
a tradition in Queen Victoria’s
household. The concept gained
popularity when an image of
the royal family decorating a
tree appeared in The Illustrated
London News in 1848.Cr ackers
Inspired by the way sweets
were wrapped in Paris, in
1848 confectioner Tom Smith
brought the idea to Britain.
A package was filled with
sweets, wrapped in paper and
would snap when pulled apart.
The ‘banger’ was added in the
1860s and small gifts replaced
sweets a little later.“London
in Dickens’
lifetime was
a centre of
technological
development”
London brewery
workers depicted by
Gustave Doré, who
captured the oppressive
atmosphere of the city8 x^ ©Alamy