The Victorian era and Industrial Revolution
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Who were the Victorians?
The Victorian age in British history is named after Queen Victoria, who
was Britain's queen from 1837 until 1901.
What was life like for Victorian children? There were big
differences in homes, schools, toys and entertainments. No
TV, no computers, no central heating, no cars (until the last
few years of Victoria's reign). No air travel - unless you went
up in a balloon! Many children went to work, not to school.
Welcome to the Victorian world. It's time to find out how
children lived more than a hundred years ago.
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The British Empire
Britain ruled the British Empire. Victoria was Empress of India as well as Queen of
Britain, Canada (the biggest country in the Empire) and small countries such as
Jamaica. Trade with the Empire helped make Britain rich. Some British children
emigrated with their families to new homes in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa
and Canada. Children were taught about the Empire in school.
In Victorian classrooms, children could easily find the countries of the Empire on a
map because they were coloured pink or red.
Countries of the commonwealth today.
AfricaBotswana Cameroon Ghana Kenya Lesotho Malawi Mauritius Mozambique
Namibia Nigeria Rwanda Seychelles Sierra Leone South Africa Swaziland Uganda
United Republic of Tanzania Zambia
Asia Bangladesh Brunei Darussalam India Malaysia Maldives Pakistan Singapore Sri
Lanka
Caribbean and AmericasAntigua and Barbuda Bahamas, The Barbados Belize
Canada Dominica Grenada Guyana Jamaica Saint Lucia St Kitts and Nevis St
Vincent and The Grenadines Trinidad and Tobago