Life in Mid to Late Victorian Worcester

What was life like in the second half of the 19th century in Worcester?  Conditions in all Victorian industrial towns were "grimy."  Fires and furnaces fueled by wood and coal were constantly burning, not just to operate machinery in factories, but also for residential heat and cooking.  The result was many "belching chimneys" at a time when work and home were in close proximity.  Coal although still expensive, was more readily available thanks to the railroad which after 1852 also provided milk and vegetables that were of better quality and more affordable.  This also facilitated the Winders new occupation as green grocers.

Picture of Victorian industrial town illustrating the amount of smoke and the proximity of houses to factories

The Winders home on Northfield Street was most likely rented, heated by gas or wood and lit by oil, tallow and paraffin.  Typically the street door would have opened on a living room which served as a parlor and kitchen.  It's not clear if the Winders shop and residence were in the same building, if so, the shop would have been on the ground floor with the residence on the second.

Modern view of houses on Northfield Street

Either in that second floor residence or more commonly on the first floor was the kitchen where Mary cooked either over an open fire or on a small range.  Most of this would have been broiling and frying with the family dependent on a local baker for baking and roasting much like the Cratchits in A Christmas Carol.  In addition to the cooking, Mary probably did all of the shopping, cleaning, mending and washing.  Washing itself was a major operation, both time consuming and physically demanding.

Victorian Cooking Range

In a society where most people worked 10 hours a day and had only 53 days off a year, we tend to think of the Victorian life as all work and no play.  The Winders had a different frame of reference and given the lack of long commutes - evenings, Sundays and the occasional holiday gave them some leisure time or at least more than their predecessors.  At the heart of Victorian entertainment was the music hall which began in England in the early 1850's and by the 1860's there were at least two such establishments operating in Worcester.  Other forms of entertainment such as all male singing groups became popular through music halls which may be where James first witnessed what would become one of his passions.  Of special note were two 1867 visits to Worcester by Charles Dickens himself who did public readings from A Christmas Carol and The Pickwick Papers.  

Worcester Chronicle, April 17, 1867 account of Charles Dickens visit to Worcester just three years before his death.

Sundays were, of course, free of work, but because of strict Sabbath laws and customs most activities were church related.  While we don't know how religious the Winders were, their marriage, as well as that of son James, in a congregational chapel suggests any religious activities were non-conformist, not Church of England.  In spite of the differences between these two Protestant denominations, one historian claims there was little difference between the beliefs of ordinary members.  These included belief in a personal God who was a stern and loving father with Heaven as a "state of future bliss" and Hell for the wicked.  Humans or "man" in Victorian parlance had a sinful nature, but could be saved by God's grace.  Typically congregational chapels held two worship services every Sunday plus a Sunday school, for both children and adults which taught basic skills as well as religious subjects.  Perhaps it's just as well so much time was spent in church since not being able to do anything for enjoyment on their one day off was a source of frustration for many Victorians.  Looking backward, one woman who grew up in the Victorian era recalled that every Sunday afternoon, it seemed like the clock was stuck at 3:00.

1867 Ad for Worcester Music Hall - original is off center

If there was such a community of belief, it became part of popular culture through hymns and hymn singing, not the Bible or the prayer book.  One example is the great Victorian hymn, "Abide With Me," which doesn't express as specific creed, but offers assurance without demands.  Interestingly that was one of the hymns we sang at Ruth Winder Healey's funeral.

Defining time periods as mid or late Victorian is very arbitrary and those who actually lived at the time, may not have even been conscious of much change.  1875 is sometimes chosen as the beginning of the late Victorian period and it does approximate some significant changes for William and Mary.  Just two years later, James married Mary Ann Hudson and moved out on his own.  While today such a transition might be more emotional in nature (empty nest syndrome or in some cases relief), it had a financial impact in Victorian times.  Typically when working class children, especially an only child, moved out, it marked the end of the most financially prosperous period in the parent's lives and the beginning of some financial challenges.  In the next post we'll look at how much this may have effected the Winders.