Charles Carnegie, 11th Earl of Southesk

Getting around

Dramatic increases in travel speed by rail

Rail travel speeds significantly outperformed earlier coaches, with journeys that took 20 hours by stagecoach in 1830 taking only five hours by train by the early 20th century. For example, in 1872, a 220-mile trip to Scotland via train and carriage took over 9.5 hours, averaging about 23 miles per hour.

Daily life

Shared water and toilets were common

Many working-class homes lacked indoor plumbing, requiring families to share an outdoor tap and toilet with several neighboring households.

What people wore

Sunday Best as a Status Symbol

Ordinary working-class men and women maintained a Sunday best outfit, often a three-piece suit for men, to symbolize respectability and celebrate the weekly day of rest.

Music

Concertinas in Every Home

In 1890, it was remarked that almost every house in rural Norfolk contained a worn-out concertina or a broken-down accordion. Concertinas were found everywhere, including in pubs, churches, and at home gatherings.

At the table

Stretching food resources

Poor families sometimes substituted butter with treacle, while tea was used in nearly every household, with families often re-using tea leaves until all flavor was extracted.