'Overcrowded, unsanitary dens of iniquity' - and Banbury had its fair share

English Local History expert, Liz Woolley MSC, who will lecture on nineteenth century common lodging houses

'Overcrowded, unsanitary dens of iniquity'. They were known as centres of sexual depravity and dreaded by many as sources of infection and contagious disease.

The common lodging house of Victorian England is the fascinating subject of Banbury Historical Society’s next lecture, next Thursday December 8 in the Education Studio of Banbury Museum at 7.30pm.

The expert delivering the lecture is Liz Woolley who will be talking on ‘The night-time haven of the wandering tribes’: the common lodging-house in Victorian England.

By the early nineteenth century common lodging-houses had become a well-established form of working-class accommodation in English market towns and cities. They had an evil reputation, certainly amongst middle-class commentators, and by the 1830s they were considered to be a serious social problem.

They were seen as overcrowded, unsanitary dens of iniquity where delinquency and dishonesty were encouraged, stolen goods were exchanged and incendiary political views might be shared. They were known as centres of sexual depravity and dreaded by many as sources of infection and contagious disease.

“Using examples from Oxfordshire, this talk investigates the truth of these claims and tries to cast common lodging-houses in a more positive light by looking at the economic and social functions that they fulfilled in relation to the supply of industrial and agricultural labour, to patterns of migration, to retailing, to the treatment of the poor and to the provision of popular entertainment,” said Deborah Hayter of the Banbury Historical Society.

Their role in prompting reform in the provision of working-class housing and in improvements in public sanitation is also examined.

Liz Woolley lives in Oxford and has a Diploma and an MSc in English Local History from the University’s Department for Continuing Education. Her MSc dissertation

was a study of common lodging-houses in the parish of St Thomas’ in Oxford.

Lectures take place in the Education Studio of Banbury Museum & Gallery, and will also be streamed using Microsoft Teams Live. Please sign in with Simon Townsend ([email protected] ) just once if you would like to receive the links to watch at home.

Non-members are very welcome to attend the lecture (£3 fee); they can receive one lecture streamed for free but will then be invited to pay per screening or to join the society.