Victorian Glasgow: The life and times of Victorian-era Glaswegians in 30 pictures

Here’s 26 pictures showcasing what life was like for Glaswegians in the Victorian era

During the Victorian era, Glasgow became the workhouse of the empire as the industrial revolution saw heavy industry such as shipbuilding introduced to the River Clyde.

The Victorian period constitutes the 64 year reign of Queen Victoria, from 1837 to 1901. Life in Glasgow was incredibly different from life today in the city - class disparity was even more apparent than it is now - as the descendants of merchants and industrialists lived in comfortable new privately built homes, while workers on the shipyards, warehouses and factories survived in rudimentary tenement slums.

Working and living conditions were harsh for the lower classes in Glasgow - the stark disparity between the upper and lower classes is no more visible than in the great and terrible buildings they created. Workers in Templeton’s Carpet Factory would arrive for a shift in a workplace resembling a Venetian Palace, and then go home to a crumbling over-crowded East-End or Gorbals tenement infested with vermin without a toilet or running water.

The following 30 pictures aim to show aspects of life in Victorian Glasgow - through the leading industrialists, living conditions, and events that shaped the age and the culture of Glasgow at the time.

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