It was an era of enormous change. During this period, the agricultural and industrial revolutions took place, and Britain changed from being a place where most people lived in the country and lived by farming, to a place where most people lived in the towns and worked in industry, factories etc. Improvements in farming methods meant that more food could be produced to feed the rapidly growing population, but also led to job losses for people as more and more small farms were enclosed and made into big farms. Many people who had run their own small farms or been farm labourers were put out of work and had to seek employment in towns. In 1800, 75% of the population lived in the country and only 25% in towns. By 1900, those figures had exactly reversed.
Towns became enormous places full of factories and were very polluted and insanitary. Various public health acts were passed in the 19th century to help clean the towns up. In the late 1800s, gas lighting was introduced in the streets, making towns less dangerous at night.
Enormous numbers of new buildings appeared, and there were many impressive bridges built, notably the Clifton Suspension Bridge, built by the engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
The building of the railways made a great difference to public transport, by 1900 there were railways all over Britain, and even poor people could afford to travel quite cheaply on trains, making it much easier fo rpeople to travel, move to different places, seek work etc. Roads too were greatly improved, and travel generally became easier for everyone. From the 1880s onwards, the bicycle became an extremely popular form of transport, with both men and women.
Clothing went through several changes. In 1750, dress was very elaborate for both men and women, and wealthy women and men wore powdered wigs which could be huge and elaborate. ladies wore dresses which stuck out over wire frames. By the 1790s, a much simpler style of dress was coming into vogue. Dresses became straight, with high waists, and hair was worn unpowdered and in curls (a sort of imitation classical style). Wigs went right out of fashion for both sexes, and for men dress became very plain, with tight trousers, highly polished boots, dark coats etc coming into fashion. A high crowned hat called a top hat became fashionable for men.
From the 1830s onwards, women's dresses became more elaborate again, with lots of petticoats, corsets etc, and in the 1850s the crinoline became popular, a sort of wire cage which held the skirt out in a bell shape. The crinoline went out of fashion in about the 1870s, to be replaced by the bustle (which made the skirt stick out at the back). men's fashions remained fairly plain, with dark suits and top hats still in style.
