England in the second half of the 19th century was truly a land of contrasts. While the newly rich made their fortunes and built their personal empires in the wake of the industrial revolution, the poor, orphans, widows and unemployed vegetated in real slums. Big cities, especially London, literally became a center of attraction for the “humiliated and insulted” who left their small villages and towns in the hope of getting at least some income in the capital or other large center.
The poor had a choice of where to spend the night: on a bench for 1 penny, hanging on a rope for 2 pence, or in a “coffin” for 4 pence.
The greyness, dirt, cold and hunger of dangerous and inhospitable city corners are well described in the works of Charles Dickens. He became one of the first popular authors to show the “dark” side of life in Victorian England. The homeless of that time, who for various reasons found themselves in a desperate situation, had to choose, in fact, between the workhouse or survival on the streets. And many preferred the latter option — there were truly terrible stories about the conditions of detention in workhouses. Those who were able to scrape together even a few pennies tried to avoid a similar fate at all costs. Such institutions seemed little better than prisons: the rules in them were strict, corporal punishment could be applied to the guests for offenses, the work itself was extremely hard, and the food was very meager.
Children queuing for free food.
One workhouse in Andover was even at the center of a scandal in the 1840s: it turned out that its inmates were forced to literally fight each other for the right to gnaw bones, they were kept there so hungry. It was for this reason that even those who did not have shelter preferred to vegetate on the streets and take on any available work, just to avoid being sent to the workhouse.
In search of work, residents of villages and small towns went to the capital, but finding decently paid work was extremely difficult: due to the huge influx of labor (in the 19th century, the population of London tripled), physical labor was valued extremely cheaply. Nevertheless, many poor people earned an income from irregular jobs: they were hired to beat carpets, repair furniture, load heavy objects, and do other small tasks. Renting a bed and sharing a room with other hard workers was considered true happiness. Many did not have enough money to pay for a roof over their heads. For this reason, the streets of big cities are clogged with homeless people. The Salvation Army took up the solution to the problem: this Christian charitable organization originated in Great Britain in 1865, its goal was to make life easier for the poorest and most disenfranchised segments of the population. The «army» offered a kind of refuge for those who had nowhere to go.
A seat on a bench for 1 penny
The cheapest option was to go to a place where you could buy a seat on a bench for 1 penny. In the large hall there were rows of long wooden benches—this is where the poor crowded in the evenings. In fact, “guests” were offered to spend the night on such a bench for a penny, and guests could only sit, but in no case lie down. In some places, special caretakers were even hired to ensure that no one who paid a penny dared to fall asleep. Some establishments had simple cooking appliances like stoves and fireplaces, while others offered nothing more than a roof over their heads and a hard bench. There was no hygiene there: there were no sinks or bathrooms.
Shelter on a bench for 1p.
It was assumed that the poor paid only for the opportunity to spend the night dry and in a sitting position — otherwise they would have to get wet in the rain on the street cobblestones. Food was not provided in such houses: the guests made do with the pitiful crumbs that they brought with them. As a rule, the owners of these cheap shelters did not even spend money on heating, so the temperature in the room was not much higher than outside. Not only men came here to spend the night; it happened that women and children bought themselves a place on the bench. One penny today is equal to about a quarter of a pound sterling (about 25 rubles), and therefore almost everyone could scrape together enough for such a unique overnight stay.
“Suspended” overnight stay for 2 pence
The poor could spend the night a little more comfortably in establishments where they were literally tied up with a rope. Late in the evening, guests sat on a bench, in front of which there was a long thick rope — they could lean on it in their sleep. Thus, visitors slept sitting, with their arms thrown over a tight rope (or leaning their torso on it), which held them in this position. Compared to just a place on a bench for a penny, you could sleep here, albeit in a very uncomfortable position, but still sleep. Early in the morning, around 5 or 6 o’clock, the caretaker, who was jokingly called the footman, cut off one end of the rope, causing the sleepy guests to literally fall to the floor. Such a rude manner of awakening once again reminded the poor of their powerless and deplorable situation — they did not stand on ceremony with the beggars. Heating was extremely rare in these establishments; it happened that one or more guests literally froze to death, and in the morning their bodies simply fell to the floor after the rope was cut. The fee for such an overnight stay was 2 pence.
Photo of a “suspended overnight stay” taken at a later period.
Bed in a «coffin»
The most advanced “apartments” were considered to be the so-called “coffins”. Through the efforts of the Salvation Army, the poor could spend the night in a warm place, where they were offered to rent a bed in a wooden box resembling an ordinary coffin for 4 pennies. Inside the “coffin” there was an oilcloth or leather bed stuffed with straw; in addition, a simple blanket was provided. The length of the box reached approximately 170 cm; only those whose height was short could fit there comfortably. Unlike benches and ropes, here the guests were able to sleep lying down. As a rule, visitors were also offered hot drinks and a small snack, and the room was heated. The main problem in any such hostel was lice, which literally devoured the unfortunate people at night. But despite all the inconveniences, the poor certainly preferred sleeping in these wooden boxes to other alternatives.
The men settle down for the night in “coffins.”
From benches to full-fledged shelters
At the end of the 19th century, philanthropist and rich man Lord Rowton invested his personal funds in opening six new hostels for the poor of London. The first of them was built in 1892, and the last in 1905. From the outside, these establishments looked like a huge hotel with many floors and windows. The largest of the hostels could accommodate more than a thousand people, while others received hundreds of guests every day. Here, visitors purchased tiny cabins that contained: a small bed with a mattress, sheet and blanket, as well as a chair, a shelf and hooks for clothes. Each of those who came here essentially received their own space and did not share it with other workers.
The clients of these hostels were men. In addition to their personal cabin, they could also use common rooms, which included a large dining room for several hundred people, a smoking room, a reading room and washrooms. Workers had access to bathrooms, toilets, sinks, and a kitchen where they could prepare their own food. In the basements there were offices for a hairdresser and a tailor; those who could afford to pay for such services came to them. Cleaning and housekeeping in hostels was carried out by specially hired personnel — dishwashers, maids and cooks. The fee for this overnight stay was from 6 pennies, although food was paid separately. For example, on Christmas Day 1897, guests could buy themselves a full holiday dinner with turkey for 8 pence and plum pudding for 1 penny.
One of Rowton’s hostels.
According to Rowton, the men who came to spend the night in his hostels were the most honest hard workers who did not want charity towards themselves. “He who behaves with dignity and pays from his own funds will always find a warm welcome here, whether he is in a greasy shirt or a frock coat.” The guests had to maintain discipline, not make noise, not fight, not get drunk, but behave modestly and respectfully towards others. And although the rules in Rowton hostels were slightly reminiscent of the rules of a prison or correctional institution, there was no shortage of clients.
Yet significant changes were still ahead. The state became truly interested in the affairs of the poor already in the 20th century, when the Victorian era came to an end. In the 1900s and 1910s, the Liberal Party in Great Britain introduced a number of reforms to improve the welfare of the poor. In 1908, a law was passed according to which anyone who had reached the age of 70 could count on a pension from the state. Since 1909, special commissions have appeared to help the unemployed find a job.
The ensuing health insurance reform allowed for sickness benefits. The government also sponsored free school lunches for low-income children. Over time, however, closer to the middle of the 20th century, unemployment benefits also appeared, which were paid to those who could not work for health reasons. One way or another, only with the advent of the 20th century did the state gradually begin to solve the problems of the homeless and poor — in the Victorian era and earlier, these concerns were shifted to the church, charities and individuals.
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