Aye - you wouldn't want to live there OC.
Read this from TP Woods Alamac - its not in the Dog Kennels area, it's in Chesterfield off Saltergate but describes life in those days - it's a real eye-opener, powerful stuff:
Locally, production of coal increased dramatically – unfortunately by 1893 this led to over-supply and the price of coal fell. In June of that year, out of an estimated 15,000 miners in the district, 9,000 were on two days’ work a week and the remainder out of work altogether. By the end of July a dispute between the Coal-Owners’ Association (who wanted a 25% cut in miners’ wages) and the miners resulted in a lock-out that continued until November, when the men went back to work at their original wage. The economic effects on a town which depended so much on the mines, and the industries which supported them, for employment were harsh and the poorer sections of the community suffered most.
“Six in family, two rooms, no fire in the grate, not a particle of furniture; a poor child under rags, ill. Neither man nor wife nor children had eaten anything that day. Earned 5s. 6d. to 6s. a day; but only worked two or three days a week.
This house is in Shakespeare Yard. How can I describe this truly awful place? … It is a small court; around are a few hovels of grey, large stone. There was a small worn shaky stone staircase. This led to a house – if it could be called – of a single room, about 12 feet by six. Absolutely nothing in the room but a heap of rags in the corner of the floor. There three human beings actually lived – a man, his wife and child. Not all the wealth of all the world could prevail upon me to spend one night in it. The darkest cell in Newgate would be preferable. But these hapless wretches paid 2s rent for it. The husband could earn 6s. 6d. a day when he had work; but he had work only two days or two and a half days in the week. Then he was often not able to work at all. He had bronchitis – he had been ill most of the previous winter, and the wife had to go charing.”
The previous occupant of the property had been a rag and bone man before he became landlord of the court. He was a miser and when he died shortly before he left £5,000
Topic: Dog Kennels pictures (Read 2013 times)