An Overview of Life in Victorian Britain and Ireland

    The Victorian era in Britain and Ireland covers the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901.  During that time, fashions changed dramatically as Britain became a global empire, with control of Egypt, India, Canada, Hong Kong, and parts of the Caribbean.  As immigration soared and London became the largest city in the world, anxiety about non-English "colonials" polluting English culture or bloodlines was at an all-time high.  Industry moved from small family businesses run out of the home to mass manufacturing in urban factories.  Handcrafts waned during the middle of Victoria's reign, only to return in romanticized "vintage" or "authentic" forms at the end of the century.

General information
    BBC Archive. "1970: VICTORIAN TEENAGERS reminisce | Yesterday's Witness | Voice of the People | BBC Archive." YouTube. Posted April 30, 2022.
    HistoryExtra. "Child labour and BREADWINNERS | Ruth Goodman on family life in the Victorian era." YouTube. Posted January 20, 2025.

Arts and architecture
    Athena Art Foundation. "Why were sculptures of enslaved women so popular in Victorian Britain?" YouTube. Posted January 4, 2023.
    Gontar, Cybele. "Art Nouveau." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2006.
    Historic England. "Crossness Pumping Station: London's Victorian Sewage System." YouTube. Posted March 14, 2022.
    Historic England. "London’s Hidden Subway: The Last Survivor of the Crystal Palace." YouTube. Posted March 20, 2025.
    Hostetler, Lisa. "International Pictorialism." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2004.
    Nationalgalleries. "Scotland's Art | The Celtic Revival." YouTube. Posted December 4, 2020.
    Oshinsky, Sara J. "Design Reform." In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2006.

Economy and trade
    Absolute History. "Why Was Baking The Most Deadly Job In The Victorian Era? | Victorian Bakers | Absolute History." YouTube. Posted April 23, 2021.
    Banijay History. "Discover Belfast’s Shipbuilding Legacy - Britain's Most Historic Towns." YouTube. Posted October 31, 2024.
    Banijay History. "Secrets of Wales' Slate Industry - Walking Britain's Lost Railways." YouTube. Posted October 8, 2024.
    HistoryExtra. "REALITIES of Victorian working life | Ruth Goodman on the Industrial Revolution." YouTube. Posted January 7, 2025.
    Ironbridge Valley of Invention. "Women In Industry with Ruth Goodman - Part 1." YouTube. Posted March 7, 2023.
    The Great Courses. "Understanding the Industrial Revolution | Wondrium Perspectives." YouTube. Posted April 10, 2022.

Food and drink
    English Heritage. "How to Make a Cup of Tea - The Victorian Way." YouTube. Posted September 23, 2016.
    English Heritage. "How to Make a Travel Picnic — The Victorian Way." YouTube. Posted August 18, 2022.
    English Heritage. "How to Make Biscuits - The Victorian Way." YouTube. Posted August 31, 2016.
    English Heritage. "How to Make Butter – The Victorian Way." YouTube. Posted May 24, 2019.
    English Heritage. "How to Make Curry - The Victorian Way." YouTube. Posted September 18, 2017.
    English Heritage. "How to Make English Chutnee – The Victorian Way." YouTube. Posted November 24, 2021.
    English Heritage. "How to Make Furmenty - The Victorian Way." YouTube. Posted March 27, 2024.
    English Heritage. "How to Make Macaroni Cheese - The Victorian Way." YouTube. Posted February 21, 2020.
    English Heritage. "How to Make Marbled Eggs for Easter - The Victorian Way." YouTube. Posted March 23, 2018.
    English Heritage. "How to Make Soup for the Poor – The Victorian Way." YouTube. Posted January 17, 2020.
    English Heritage. "How to Make Vegetable Salad — The Victorian Way." YouTube. Posted July 27, 2022.

Games and entertainment
    HistoryExtra. "What did the Victorians do for FUN? | Ruth Goodman on 19th century entertainment." YouTube. Posted February 17, 2025.
    HistoryExtra. "'That’s the way to do it': a two-minute history of Punch and Judy." YouTube. Posted September 28, 2023.
    Liberty Park Music. "The Romantic Period | Music History Video Lesson." YouTube. Posted October 17, 2020.

Health and medicine
    HistoryExtra. "How CLEAN were the Victorians? | Ruth Goodman explains the realities of 19th-century healthcare." YouTube. Posted December 27, 2024.
    Marchant, Katrina. "Victorian Crime: The 'Baby Farmers'." YouTube. Posted October 8, 2021.

Literature and education
    Historyextra. "lnside a Victorian school | Historian Ruth Goodman on lessons and discipline." YouTube. Posted November 27, 2024.
    Marchant, Katrina. "Cockney: A History of People and Rhyme." YouTube. Posted November 1, 2024.
    Roper, Simon. "19th-Century Cockney and RP." YouTube. Posted September 7, 2021.
    Victoria and Albert Museum. "A brief history of (charming and mean) Valentine's cards | V&A." YouTube. Posted February 7, 2023.
    Victoria and Albert Museum. "A brief history of (weird and wonderful) Victorian Christmas cards | V&A." YouTube. Posted December 13, 2022.

Religion and folklore
    Victoria and Albert Museum. "A brief history of ghosts and spirit photography | V&A." YouTube. Posted October 24, 2023.

Travel and transportation
    Channel 5. "History of The British Holiday | How The Victorians Built Britain | Channel 5 #History." YouTube. Posted April 21, 2020.
    Channel 5. "How The British Railway Created Time | How The Victorians Built Britain | Channel 5 #History." YouTube. Posted March 31, 2020.
    Channel 5. "London Underground: How Was It Built? | London 2000 Years of History | Channel 5 #History." YouTube. Posted April 13, 2020.
    History Hit. "The Cutty Sark: Inside The Fastest Ship Of The Victorian Era." YouTube. Posted April 13, 2022.

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