Showing results for "Homelessness" in World

Have you ever thought about the fact that homelessness has a history? When did it start and where did it come from? Who were the people affected by homelessness in the past and what was life like for them? Across these four episodes, we’re going to journey through 600 years of British history and build up a picture of past and present homelessness: from the wandering vagrants of the 16th century to the London squatters of the 1970s, right up to today’s housing and homelessness crises. And all the while, we’ll be asking the question: could understanding this history change the way we ...

London Labour and the London Poor is a rare and fascinating insight into the lives and struggles of the 19th-century poor. Written by journalist and reformer Henry Mayhew, a founder and editor of the satirical magazine Punch, it collects hundreds of testimonials from the lower strata of Victorian society. We encounter street entertainers, 'pure finders', cabinetmakers, gingerbread sellers, 'screeve-fakers', swindlers, and burglars. We hear accounts from toshers finding items in sewers, people attempting to train pigs to dance, and witness the sale of everything from gilt watches and chickweed to needles, dog collars, and eel soup.