Women in Wolverhampton's History

Women at Home | 1 | 2 |

Domestic living conditions were usually the main concern of women. Whether the women of the family worked for a living or not they were often fully responsible for the home. Included in this section is a brief look at housing conditions in various parts of the town. For more detailed information on living and housing conditions in the 19th century look at the section entitled Eradicating Filth - Public Health in Victorian Times.

The areas we know today as Monmore Green, Ettingshall, Parkfields and Rough Hills, situated in the east and south of the town, were areas of coal and iron production. The state of the housing in these areas often reflected the harsh working conditions.

Housing often consisted of small single storey dwellings, with tiny windows and - if it were not for the cheap abundance of coal - damp.

The Cotts, Rough Hills, Wolverhampton, 1941 (N4/ROU/E/1)

The interiors were often small, dark and damp, with little or no ventilation.

The Old Sitting Room 1901 (DX-497/1 page 5)

It was in this type of dwelling that most married woman had to live and bring up a family in the mining and iron producing areas of Wolverhampton.

Other parts of the borough also suffered from poor housing. There were irregular streets with numerous courts and alleys crowded with small houses. The centres of Bilston, Willenhall and Wednesfield were not much better.

Canal Street (Broad Street), Wolverhampton, c.1870 (C1/BRO/2/1)

In 1847 the Wolverhampton and South Staffordshire Building Society was founded, and within a year became one of the largest building societies in the country. Another society active in the area was the Bilston and District Provident Society, providing mortgages for housing.

Parts of Wolverhampton improved by these societies included Moorfields Road, Newhampton Road, Merridale Road and areas of Bilston and Portobello.

The work of such council committees such as the Artisan Dwellings and Streets Improvements Committee also improved housing conditions.

The Wolverhampton Streets Improvement Scheme began with a public enquiry in April 1877. The scheme proposed to clear the area of the town known as Caribee Island (sometimes spelt Carribee or Carabee). This area consisted of numerous properties, including 704 houses, of which 632 were inhabited, 408 were old and dilapidated and 54 in ruins.

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Caribee Island - a notorious area for poor housing, poor health and crime,
1872 (D-DRA/5)

Demolition of Caribee Island, 1878 (C1/CARI/0/2)

In 1878 land in Springfields was acquired by the Council for the building of Artisan's Dwellings. These were houses that went some way to improve the health and living conditions of artisans and their families. Other areas were developed for housing and better housing conditions helped to improve the health of women living in the new estates of Springfields and Whitmore Reans.

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Extract from Ordnance Survey Map, 25 inches : 1 mile, 1886 (LX II 7-16)

Grimstone Street, Springfield, Wolverhampton, 1955 (C1/GRIM/0/1)

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© Copyright. Wolverhampton City Council, 2002