The Victorian Era ~ Leisure Time

Tweet

Rural life began to merge into cities and slums. During this time of industrialization, there were changing working hours and people had time off. The poor still worked from dawn to dusk trying to make enough money to buy lodging and food where the upper classes may have homes and were better off in many ways. Here are some of the changes and activities that sprung up during this time: This was a time of games and sports was very popular. The first theme parks and football clubs came into existence during this time. Games such as lawn tennis, crochet, and cricket became fashionable. Spectator sports were also starting. Some families took day trips to the seashore if they lived nearby. Bathing suits and huts on wheels were used. The bathing machine (or hut on wheels) was rolled out into the water so people could enter the water without being seen. Penny licks ice cream or a Punch and Judy show(puppet shows) was sure to entertain the children. The typical free day was Sunday. Single men spent time in the pubs that were popping up. In 1843 the laws changed and parishes could be built without an act of Parliament. This meant those areas where there might not have been a church now might have parishes where the family could go and worship. Between 1851 and 1875 2,438 churches were built. The population of the Jewish faith grew from 60,000 to 300,000 by 1914. Women of the era enjoyed tea parties and balls. They rode horses, some did fencing, knitted, did all manner of beadwork and handicrafts as well as gardened. Social gatherings and music evenings were enjoyed. Having a piano in the home became a status symbol. Clubs and Societies that were famous during this time were such as the Athenaeum which was for men of science, literature, and art. Political conservatives joined the Carlton, The United Service Club was for senior-level military officers. In 1753, with the legacy of the collections of Sir Hans Sloane, who had been the physician of King George II and several others the British Museum Library was organized and became one of the finest in the world. By the end of the 19th-century vaudeville was beginning. This was before Broadway and women were the highest paid in those days. Martin Beck, the founder of OrpheumCircuit, was the one who discovered Harry Houdini. Seances were very popular and were a rather somber, low-key affair with a psychic medium facilitating the entire affair and trying to contact loved ones. Occultists and mystic spiritualists influenced the up-and-coming theaters of this time period. Time for the Roarin' '20s