Victorian Industry

A selection of images showing different aspects of Victorian Industry. Check out our Interactive Timeline: Victorian Industry and Teaching Activity Victorian Life: Were the Victorians like us?

Add to My Favourites Reproduced by permission of English Heritage.NMR Loading a barge at Marlow, Buckinghamshire Workmen load large logs onto a river barge using a form of jack. Marlow Bridge, the 19th-century suspension bridge over the River Thames, can be seen in the background.	Add to My Favourites Reproduced by permission of English Heritage.NMR Gloucester Dock, Gloucestershire The Gloucester and Sharpness Canal was built to specifications that allowed ocean going vessels to reach Gloucester, despite its distance from the sea. This allowed Gloucester to compete with coastal docks in the 19th century, as this picture shows, and it had a profound effect on the commercial aspects of the town.
Add to My Favourites Reproduced by permission of English Heritage.NMR Westington Quarry, Westington, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire Five of the quarrymen are standing posed at the entrance to the quarry, one on the trolley which carries stone from the quarry. The quarry is still in use today providing stone for paving and walls.	Add to My Favourites Reproduced by permission of English Heritage.NMR Tootal, Broadhurst & Lee Warehouse, Oxford Road, Manchester These people are workers in Tootal, Broadhurst & Lee's pattern shop. They are making templates from drawings on paper to be used for making clothes. At this time men were often employed as machine operators leaving women to perform more mundane tasks. All the workers are smartly dressed and wearing aprons to protect their clothes. These jobs were skilled, indoor jobs rather than manual labour and this is reflected in the clothing.
Add to My Favourites Crown copyright.NMR Oaks Disaster Memorial, Ardsley, Barnsley, South Yorkshire On 12 December 1866 340 men and boys were working the Old Oaks Colliery when an under-ventilated shaft exploded. At 9 am the following morning the shaft exploded for a second time, killing 27 of the 198 rescuers. A total of 361 people died before the rescue was completed.	Add to My Favourites Crown copyright.NMR Huskar Pit Disaster Memorial, Silkstone, South Yorkshire On 4 July 1838 26 children were drowned when the Huskar Pit flooded. The report on the accident highlighted the conditions in which children worked in mines, and the public outcry that followed caused parliament to prohibit boys under 10, and all girls, from working underground.
Add to My Favourites Reproduced by permission of English Heritage.NMR Old Weir, Bray, Berkshire Workmen operating a pully mechanism to lift large wooden poles during construction of the new weir, with the older one in the background.	Add to My Favourites Reproduced by permission of Oxfordshire County Council Whiteleaf Cross, Whiteleaf, Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire Local farmers loading hay onto their hay cart, watched by curious children. The chalk cut cross, possibly dating to the 17th century, can be seen on the hillside in the distance.
Add to My Favourites Reproduced by permission of English Heritage.NMR Robinson's Flour Mill, Deptford Bridge, Greenwich, London The Deptford area of London proved popular for many firms as it was within easy reach of the city, while the river allowed produce to be shipped in with relative ease.	Add to My Favourites Reproduced by permission of English Heritage.NMR Holborn Viaduct, Camden, London The construction of Holborn Viaduct, looking west. It connected Holborn Street with Newgate Street and was completed in 1869. The hoarding in the foreground advertises the newly-opened St Pancras Station, which opened in 1868.
Add to My Favourites Reproduced by permission of English Heritage.NMR Early Blanket Factory, Witney, Oxfordshire Two women working at large power looms in the blanket mill, Wintey's largest industry.	Add to My Favourites Reproduced by permission of Oxfordshire County Council Oxford, Oxfordshire A group of workmen constructing a new cut between the River Cherwell and River Thames outside the city.
Add to My Favourites Reproduced by permission of English Heritage.NMR Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol Clifton Suspension Bridge under construction. Work began on the bridge in 1836 under the supervision of Isambard Kingdom Brunel but stopped due to lack of funds. Work resumed in the 1860s and the bridge was finished in 1864.	Add to My Favourites Reproduced by permission of English Heritage.NMR London Docks, Number One Warehouse, Wapping, Stepney, Greater London A view of Number One Warehouse at the London Docks with barrels containing cargo in the foreground and tall ships moored in the background. The docks opened in 1805 and were the nearest to the city. They closed in 1969.
Add to My Favourites Reproduced by permission of English Heritage.NMR Advertisement for Atterton's patent one-man charging apparatus An advertisement from Newbiggin's Handbook for Gas Engineers and Managers (5th edition, 1889). The Victorians' faith in engineering produced solutions to every need. The advert suggests that this gadget will increase efficiency in the gas-manufacturing industry, allowing one man to do the work of a team.