The social class you ranked in has normally always predetermined the house in which you lived in. The 18th and 19th centuries are no different. The upper class lived in lavish, extremely wealthy castles and mansions, while the middle and working classes lived in housing steps below this. However, nothing truly compares to the grave differences that were so visible in the housing of the classes in the 18th/19th centuries.
The upper class dawned houses with their lavish curves, outer walls decorated with wildfires and river motifs (Banerjee). They were generally referred to as
- impressive townhouses
- grand apartment buildings
- extravagant and fanciful castles
The middle class was just a step down from this outlandish display of wealth. Commonly occupied by:
- academia
- lawyers
- businessmen
The middle class lived in homes that resembled and complemented Italianate features and the nearby St. Raphael’s Roman Catholic Church (Banerjee).
The working class however lived in the true slums. Always fighting with
- overcrowding
- health hazards
- filth and stench
- improper waste management
Migrants were forced to cluster “around the already congested central districts close to the markets” just to ensure their jobs (Wohl).
More can be learned about the treatment and disparities of the working class in Anthony Wohl’s novel, The Eternal Slum: Housing and Social Policy in Victorian London.
Wohl, Anthony S. The Eternal Slum: Housing and Social Policy in Victorian London. 3. New Brunswick, New Jersey: Transaction Publishing, 2009. Print. http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=1IgeAuQNm_UC&oi=fnd&pg=PR6&dq=housing in the Victorian era&ots=byZcwUSlVu&sig=dZRADDdx41woU0lRbZaWr3Vs87E>.
Banerjee, Jacquline. “Homes in the City and Suburbs: Housing in Victorian England.” Victorian Web (2008): n.pag. Web. 5 Sep 2012. <http://www.victorianweb.org/art/architecture/homes/housing2.html>.
