Housing and employment

Question 1

How many people lived in Whitechapel in 1881 and in how many homes?

Answer 1

• Whitechapel was very densely populated in the late 1800s. In 1881, more than 30,000 people lived in around 3500 homes. This meant that areas were very overcrowded.

Question 2

What were rookeries?

Answer 2

• There were lots of small, dark streets and alleyways, and many people lived in slums called ‘rookeries’. These were crowded areas of low quality housing. Some rookery buildings were several storeys high, and over thirty people might share one house or apartment.

Question 3

What were doss houses?

Answer 3

• Some people lived in lodging houses called doss houses, where individuals could sleep on dormitory-style bunks for just a few pence a night. Lodgers could pay a cheaper price if they slept upright and leaning over a rope.

Question 4

What were workhouses?

Answer 4

• Other people had to live in workhouses, which offered free accomodation to the very young, old, poor or chronically ill, who might otherwise be on the streets. Workhouses were unpleasant – the accomodation was of a poor standard, discipline was harsh and families were often split up. Those who could work spent long hourse doing repetitive tasks like picking apart old rope to earn their keep.

Question 5

What was the Artisans’ Dwellings Act?

Answer 5

• In 1875, parliament passed the Artisans’ Dwellings Act in an attempt to clear some of the worst slums in the country and replace them with better housing.

Question 6

What was the Peabody Estate?

Answer 6

• One area of Whitechapel that was particularly rundown was sold to a charity called the Peabody Trust. The Trust built eleven new blocks of flats that contained a total of 286 apartments. This was called the Peabody Estate.

Question 7

What was the impact of the Peabody Estate on housing in Whitechapel?

Answer 7

• The establishment of the Estate did not improve housing in Whitechapel as a whole. The changes were only in one small area and many families there were unable to rent the new apartments due to their high cost. This meant they had to move elsewhere, adding to overcrowding in other parts of Whitechapel.

Question 8

How was unemployment in Whitechapel?

Answer 8

• People in Whitechapel typically did not have much money. Unemployment in the area was high – lots of people struggled to find a job. Even if they managed to get job, it would often only provide work for a few days before another period of unemployment. Many of those who did have a job worked as labourers for low wages.

Question 9

What were some health issues created by poverty and poor housing?

Answer 9

• Poverty and poor housing also caused health issues for some residents of Whitechapel. Diseases like diphtheria and dysentery spread easily in the overcrowded slums, and not having enough to eat due to lack of money meant people were less likely to be able to fight off illness.

Question 10

What did issues related to work and poverty mean for Whitechapel residents?

Answer 10

• Alcoholism was common, as people tried to use alcohol to escape their hard life.
• Some people also became involved in crime as a way to make money.
• The shortage of jobs also led some women to become prostitutes. Prostitutes could be dangerous but for some it was the only way to survive.