Letter: Living Conditions Of England In 19th Century Essay, Research Paper

Dear Sir,

I have completed my assignment of which I have validated the living standards in many major British industrial towns, and I have to say in advance that I am shocked, sickened and disappointed that you let other humans live in such appalling conditions.

I initially researched the water supply of Leeds, I was shocked to learn that any water provided from a well was most probably contaminated by a near by cesspit and then given to the public, this may well be a way of spreading fatal diseases amongst a community. The main supply of water was through a ?water cart? ? it?s still a mystery where these ?water carts? get their water, although I have a suspicion it?s from a nearby by river. I recently bought a magazine; in that magazine it promised an image called ?A drop of London water? in which it exploited a drop of water with demons in it. My research also tells me that raw sewage seems to be seeping into town?s water supplies.

I also researched in how sewage was disposed in major towns, well, a single street contained only one privy in which could be shared by up to 160 people, the refuge from this was put into buckets and emptied into a nearby river (in which the public drank?) but was often neglected and left to pile up in the streets. People would usually just tip their refuge from outside of their house into the streets (which had open sewers and no pavement).

The most shocking thing about these conditions were the housing themselves, a typical house only contained 2 rooms ? one upstairs and one down, in which disease was very easily spread through a family in a very short time. Houses are usually based very close to privies and cesspits and are double sided (one on the other side too) and the damp brick floor is usually damp up to 1 meter of the wall itself and were not usually fixed due to poor foundations and have no wall cavities or much timber on the roof and piles of sewage leaning on the walls. Doors and windows are usually poorly made and there aren?t any kitchens or lavatories. These houses were usually based in a damp smelly street that blocked sunlight from all angles.

Disease is the main killer in our country at present and until I researched this I never knew how or why, well at present day 1 in 30 people are dying from cholera in poor towns (which is 3,492 people in total dying from disease) and a total of 17.4% of the British population are dying/have died from disease and still no cures or vaccines are found so it spreads and is only getting worse.

I hear-by formally demand that the government spends more money on supplying fresh water to towns, upgrade living conditions, find a new disposal system, research disease more and generally spend more money on the poor rather than the rich or this country will soon collapse, if there is not an immediate improvement I will resign my 14 years of work and provoke huge protests across the country.

Yours Sincerely,

K. Pringle

Kane Pringle