Building for the Victorians

Between 1815 and 1871 the population of England more than doubled, and went on rising. At the same time the Industrial Revolution was making great changes to the way that people lived. The towns and cities grew on an unprecedented scale and the building industry had to accommodate the demand. Colin Cunningham tells of the work of the thousands of people involved in the Victorian building industry: architects, engineers, contractors and workers. He describes two revolutions: the size and scale of projects, and, equally important, the development of new materials and techniques. The result of all this growth and activity is seen in impressive public buildings and, at the other end of the scale, back-to-back terraced houses for the working classes.