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How did the Victorians have fun?

In the Victorian period work inside and outside the home took up much more time than it does today
and working people had far less leisure time. There was little money to spare and no radio, television,
CDs, cinemas or sports centres. People, however, found all sorts of ways of enjoying what free time
they had. It was a contradiction in terms of nineteenth century Britain that while work was the
bedrock upon which the Victorian vision of progress and improvement was constructed, the years
between 1837 and 1901 saw the greatest upsurge in leisure pursuits.
During Queen Victoria's reign big changes took place in the way people spent their leisure time.
Bloodsports like bear baiting and cockfighting were banned. With the growth of the railways, people
began to travel more and visiting the seaside became a popular pastime.
Cycle Race, Iliffe & Son, Coventry 1893
(COPY 1/108/220)
The Growth of Leisure

During the Victorian era there were

many changes to how people lived, and
the ways they spent their spare time.

These ranged from music hall

entertainment, railway excursions and
commercial sporting activities to the
effects of technological change in making
available cheap books, newspapers and
musical instruments, including the piano.
People enjoyed listening to music. Many
people learnt to play an instrument and
held singsongs around the piano. There were newspapers, racing papers, magazines and comics to
read.

The development of suburbs and the greater spending power of most workers at the end of the period
similarly created opportunities for new kinds of recreation. Improved transportation enabled
excursionists to go on day trips to the seaside or country, for picnics, rambles and boating. In rare
instances, some employers even sponsored teas and live musical entertainment for their employees.

In most large towns there were theatres and music halls, which were popular and cheap. The
Victorians enjoyed listening to brass bands and attending 'spectacles'. These shows included
hypnotism or even communication with the dead using mediums! Circuses and performing
menageries were also popular, with Britain being visited by some of the most famous of the time
including the Barnam and Bailey Circus who frequently came over from America.

There were still old favourites such as going to the circus or the theatre but the invention of the
moving picture during the 1890s meant that a new dimension was added to theatre-going. The rise in
photography and moving pictures meant that people started going to the theatre, not only to enjoy
plays and spectacles, but also to watch recordings of sporting events..

Sporting pastimes, such as cycling, rowing and horseracing were also popular, and large crowds would
often attend sailing events like the Henley Regatta and famous horse races such as the Epsom Derby
Men played or went to watch rugby, football, or cricket. The railways also allowed local sporting teams

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to travel and so sports like cricket, football and rugby began to be organised with agreed rules and
national competitions, such as the FA Cup. The first football FA Cup final was played in 1871.
Lawn Tennis was invented in the 1830s and a new sight on the streets of Victorian Britain was the
bicycle, in its various different designs.
Cycling was also popular; the Ordinary, or 'Penny Farthing' as we know it was invented in 1870.

The Bank Holiday Act in 1871 made certain days

throughout the year official holidays. People went to
fairs, parks and gardens, or on a daytrip to the country
or seaside.
For better-off people there were holidays by train to
the seaside and towns such as Blackpool, Southend,
Brighton and Ilfracombe in Devon grew into popular
holiday resorts.

The class-consciousness of the Victorians, which showed itself in the segregation by class and subclass in the social zoning of towns and suburbs, in the refined grading of schools, clubs and societies,
and in the differential pew rents within the churches and chapels, was nowhere more evident than in
their leisure time pursuits. Differences existed in the way in which leisure was (and continues to be)
spent not only on a regional basis, but between the classes as well. Although the lower classes often
attended the same events as the upper class, they had their own entrances and locations within the
halls, restaurants, etc.

The spread of these recreational activities was disproportionate, as these activities were dependent
upon the availability of surplus cash and a measure of free time among consumers, as well as a
weakening of the dominant work ethic. Even when shorter working hours and extra holidays were
introduced, many felt guilty about taking advantage of them.

The 1833 Factory Act cut back on the hours children between the ages of 9 and 18 were permitted to
work. Certain holidays such as Christmas Day and Good Friday plus 8 half-days was established. These
same provisions were extended to women in 1844 with shorter working hours on Saturdays and
quitting time set at 4:30 P.M. And during the 1870s, efforts were made to reduce the work day to 9
hours. With the changes taking place in the occupational structure of the labor force during the
Victorian years, employment shifted towards professional and clerical occupations.

By 1870 more parks, free libraries and public halls were on the rise. All activities however were
restricted based upon their "respectability". Admission to parks was free, but activities such as
dancing, football, bathing, picking flowers and holding public meetings were forbidden.

One of the largest events of the Victorian calendar was the famous Great Exhibition, held in 1851. This
huge event was organised by Prince Albert, the husband of Queen Victora, and was held in Hyde Park
in London. At the centre of the exhibition was the famous 'Crystal Palace' which was built to house the
exhibitions of culture and industry from around the Empire.