The Development of Leisure in Britain, 1700-1850
The nineteenth century not only saw the progression of an Industrial Revolution that brought about economic,
cultural, and structural changes but also a "Leisure Revolution" This revolution in the ideology and practice of
leisure had two distinct phases, that of 1700-1850 and that after 1850.
The earlier period reflected the roots of traditional leisure activities in which work and leisure were integrated
in small-scale communal ways of life that were heavily agrarian. . Agrarian times had a robust and gregarious
culture, whose festivals (markets, fairs, and so on) were regularly patronized by the common people..Agrarian
leisure activities continued after people moved into early Victorian towns. The new factory life of regular and
intense working hours produced a new form of leisure activity, where leisure was a noisy drunken riot.
Drinking remained a major form of working-class entertainment throughout the Victorian period. Working
class leisure activities also included bowling, glee clubs , amateur and professional dramatics, fruit and
vegetable shows, flower shows, sweepstake clubs, and meetings of trades and friendly societies.
The limits on space and time in the crowded conditions of English towns required the adoption of games and
entertainments, which were brief in duration and could be played in a small area. The public rowdiness and
drunkenness of working-class leisure activities, irregular time keeping, and drunkenness all conflicted with
industrial labor. As factory owners became increasingly powerful, their attitudes and values played a major
influential role in the progression of leisure.
After 1850 the Victorian middle class increasingly shaped the idea and practice of leisure as direct responses to
its fears of Englands problems. Leisure for this class had to be not only respectable but also productive -good both for the soul and for the body. Respectable leisure activities were created. Family walks in the
new town park was the ultimate middle class activity. These parks were mainly supplied by middle-class local
government, council members, or individual donations. Money was another important factor in leisure, and the
middle class used its business and organizational skills to establish clubs. Pooling together members' resources
enabled the purchase of grounds and buildings for leisure activities; golf, cricket, rugby, and tennis clubs are
good examples of this. There is a reason why, these sports are considered more elite than baseball, football and
other sports, they were created for the wealthy classes of England.
Technology changed leisure in Victorian Britain. Although the railway created steel barriers by increasing
separating the classes, it also encouraged the popularity of the weekend trip. Taking a train trip was very
popular in England until the cost of rail travel was increased specifically to restrict the more rowdy elements of
the working class from traveling to areas where the wealthy could play. New technology like the steam press
caused an increase in the purchase of pulp fiction and cheap newspapers by the working classes. The invention
of the bicycle had a great effect upon women. Their use of the bicycle as an accepted leisure practice freed
many women from restrictive clothing. The bicycle also led to calls for the improvement and building of better
roads, which in turn affected the Victorian Town.
Commercialization of leisure became an increasingly influential factor. The press was used to attract potential
customers to music halls, legendary acts began to develop and the concept of the star was born. Charles
Chaplin is an example of this new star phenomena, soon to be projected to new highest by the cinema. The
publication of popular songs became big business, employing many lower-middle-class song writers. Later
nineteenth century commercialization and mass production produced many familiar commodities: the
postcard, fish and chips, ice-cream, cigarettes, mineral water and the teacup. The Victorian town was the mold
which contained all these fermenting elements, both reshaping leisure and being reshaped by this process of
leisure revolution.
Leisure Activities in Britain
1. What types of activities did agrarian people participate in ?
2. What were some of the problems that factory workers had when they wanted to have fun ?
3. What types of groups did factory workers join during their off hours ?
4. What were some of the respectable activities did the English Middle Class create ?
5.How did technology change leisure activities ?
6. What modern products were created by the Victorian English ?