HOUSING INDUSTRIAL WORKERS DURING THE 19TH CENTURY: BACK-TO-BACK HOUSING IN TEXTILE LANCASHIRE

Abstract

During the Industrial Revolution period, rows of small houses built for industrial and other workers became a common landscape feature in Britain. Most were through houses, but, in many parts of the country, sizeable numbers were built as back-to-backs. By the early Victorian period, such houses had become associated with high-density and extremely squalid loving conditions in industrial towns and were strongly condemned by contemporaries. Of particularly concern were the health hazards that were seen to arise from a lack of through ventilation. Less well recognised and discussed by historians, however are the-back-to back houses that were associated with rurally-based industry. Focusing on textile Lancashire, this article addresses the theme, demonstrating not only the importance they could have as a component of rural settlement during and beyond the Industrial Revolution era, but also that they came to offer much improved standards of accommodation.