industrial revolution

A person working in a factory

You are John Smith.You live in the city of Manchester and have moved there from the countryside for a job. You now work in a large textile factory and the Factory uses steam-power engine and All your family work there

In your typical day you start work at 6am and there is a fine if you are late. You work around 14 hours a day and are only allowed two breaks. You work 5 days and a half day on a Saturday.


In the factory you are a mechanic and you spend time looking after machines. You always have to keep them running. You have two boys helping you

In the factory other workers are mainly women and children who get paid less than men and work very long hours. There is an overseer in charge and children are often punished if not working

Your working conditions are quite poor. The factory is really noisy, very hot and has poor ventilation. Many of the workers develop health problems. TB, typhoid and smallpox are very common. There can also be very bad accidents with fingers and arms often caught in the machines. When this happens there is no compensation for these unfortunate workers.


When you finally go home you live in a small house close to the factory. There is a whole row of terraced houses which are owned by the factory owner. You pay rent for the small red brick house. There are two rooms downstairs and two rooms upstairs. The whole area is very overcrowded and very noisy.

There are many problems that you have to deal with. There is very poor water quality and there is no proper sanitation and no proper sewers there are open drains instead. There are lots of fog and factory smoke in the winter. People are always sick and constantly coughing and many little babies die within their first year. You also have to share outside toilets with nine other houses which can spread diseases. You also share a water tap with nine other families.