Homes of the London Poor and the Bitter Cry of Outcast London (Routledge Revivals)

By: Octavia Hill and Andrew Mearns

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Synopsis: Originally published together in 1970, this study collects two essays on the housing situation of London in the nineteenth century. Homes of the London Poor was first published in 1875 and written by Octavia Hill, the granddaughter of the pioneer of sanitary reformation, Dr. T. Southwood Smith. Influenced by his work and by Christian socialism, she aims to outline the housing problems in London present in her lifetime and how reformation could help those in need of affordable and sanitary housing. The second text comes from a pamphlet written by Andrew Mearns in 1883 which highlights the overcrowded and unsanitary housing conditions that were still a major issue eight years after Hill’s work was published. Both works together present a clear picture of the appalling conditions the poor and homeless were forced into in Victorian London. This title will be of interest to students of history and social work.