What did Victorians do for fun?
Sporting pastimes, such as cycling, rowing and horseracing were also popular, and large crowds would often attend sailing events like the Henley Regatta and famous horse races such as the Epsom Derby. One of the largest events of the Victorian calendar was the famous Great Exhibition, held in 1851.
Families spent many hours at home in the drawing room, where they received guests and gathered to play music, read, enjoy games, and talk. The working class saw games and entertainment as a way of escaping their repetitive routine of continuous hard work.
Sports, such as cricket, rugby and soccer, thrived in the Victorian era. Many people liked fishing, hunting and watching horse races. The Oxford-Cambridge boat race on the Thames, started in 1829, also became a well-loved pastime.
Queen Victoria was one of Britain's longest reigning monarchs. She was born on the 24th May 1819 at Kensington Palace. Victoria spent much of her childhood alone at Kensington Palace, but enjoyed hobbies such as painting and drawing. She also loved to sing and regularly attended the opera.
Outdoor and Indoor Games
Many families played soccer, badminton, battledore and shuttleco*ck. Poor children kicked around a blown-up pig's bladder. Families indoor played board games like Snakes and Ladders, Ludo and Draughts, and also card games. A popular card game was Happy Families.
Board games such as Snakes and Ladders, Ludo and Draughts were popular indoor games. Outdoors, Victorian children played with toys like hoops, marbles and skipping ropes, with friends in the street, or in the school playground. They played chasing games such as Tag, Blind Man's Bluff, and played catch with balls.
Theatre Halls were numerous and performances were regularly given by theatre troupes, ventriloquists, hypnotists, poets, comedians, choirs and orchestras. Circuses came to town and set up in parks and public places. There were fêtes, carnivals, art exhibitions and lessons in singing, dancing and cooking to attend.
Sporting pastimes, such as cycling, rowing and horseracing were also popular, and large crowds would often attend sailing events like the Henley Regatta and famous horse races such as the Epsom Derby. One of the largest events of the Victorian calendar was the famous Great Exhibition, held in 1851.
They still had plenty of ways to amuse themselves though. Most towns like Huddersfield had theatres and music halls, and many of the local churches held social events. Sports were popular - rugby, football, cycling - and the growth of the train network meant that it was much easier for people to travel.
| Children from working class families | Children from rich families |
|---|---|
| had few luxuries. ate poor food worked long hours lived in damp, filthy conditions. Many children died of disease. | usually well fed, clean and well clothed. didn't need to work went on holidays had expensive toys had pets such as ponies. |
Did Queen Victoria have any pets?
Throughout her long reign Queen Victoria favoured a number of different breeds including dachshunds, collies and pugs. King Edward VII was particularly fond of terriers, with several including Jack and Caesar becoming known to the public as favourites of the King.
Black mourning dress reached its peak during Queen Victoria's reign. She set the standard by wearing mourning for half of her life. With these standards in place, it was considered a social requisite to don black from anywhere between three months to two and a half years while grieving for a loved one or monarch.
- Lawn Tennis.
- Happy Families.
- Tiddlywinks.
- Ludo.
- Badminton.
Although most of the Victorian school child's life could be considered rather dull, the bright light was playtime. Children would play with a wide variety of toys: hoops, tops, skipping ropes and marbles. There would be games of tag, British bulldog, hopscotch, and football, played with an inflated pig's bladder!
Victorian toys were usually made from wood, metal and paper. The toys that Victorian children had depended on how much money their family had. Children from rich families played with toys such as clockwork train sets, toy soldiers, tea sets, rocking horses, dolls and dolls houses.
Boys played with toys like marbles and toy soldiers as well as toy trains. (Some toy trains had working engines fuelled by methylated spirits). They also played with toy boats.
Guessing games, word games, and board games were also played in the parlor. Some table games required a steady hand or quick wit to win. In other games, victory depended on the luck of the draw. Dominoes - Playing dominoes was a favorite pastime the late 1800s.
While people did not always have electricity, they did have light, in the form of candles and fireplaces, and they did not just sit glumly in the dark! People gathered together to sing, to play musical instruments, to tell or read stories, or to play cards, or to dance.
Entertainment for the wealthy consisted of art exhibits, theater and music performances, and the circus which everybody loved. In that time, horse-back riding and boxing was most popular.
Music and singing formed a large part of the Victorian woman's entertainment. Young ladies were expected to perform at social gatherings and music evenings, whilst having a piano in your home was seen as a status symbol.
What was popular in Victorian England?
From circuses and 'freak shows' to broadsides and novels, from pleasure gardens and music halls to chapbooks and penny dreadfuls, Georgian and Victorian Britain offered the public a rich range of affordable entertainments.
The general Victorian diet consisted of a lot of fish, since meat was still more expensive, local, seasonal vegetables, fruits, and greens like onions, turnips, spinach, broccoli, cabbages, apples, cherries, and parsnips. Nuts were popular and available too and could be sold roasted from food carts.
Victorian toys were usually made from wood, metal and paper. The toys that Victorian children had depended on how much money their family had. Children from rich families played with toys such as clockwork train sets, toy soldiers, tea sets, rocking horses, dolls and dolls houses.
Strictly speaking, the Victorian era began in 1837 and ended with Queen Victoria's death in 1901, but the period can be stretched to include the years both before and after these dates, roughly from the Napoleonic Wars until the outbreak of World War I in 1914.
