1The Victorian era lasted from 1837 to 1901, the years during which Queen Victoria sat on the throne of Great Britain. It was a time of enormous change, as Britain transformed from a largely rural country into the world's most powerful industrial nation.
2Factories and mills sprang up across the country, particularly in cities such as Manchester, Birmingham and Leeds. Steam-powered machines replaced hand tools, and goods that once took days to produce could now be made in hours. This rapid transformation was part of the Industrial Revolution, which had begun in Britain many years before Victoria became queen.
3Life was very different depending on whether you were rich or poor. Wealthy Victorian families lived in grand houses with servants and enjoyed comfortable, well-fed lives. Meanwhile, working-class families often lived in cramped, overcrowded conditions with poor sanitation and very little food.
4Child labour was a grim reality of Victorian life. Children as young as five worked in factories, mines and chimneys. They were cheap to employ and small enough to carry out tasks that adults could not. It was not until reformers campaigned tirelessly for change that laws were passed to protect children from exploitation.
5Despite its hardships, the Victorian era also brought remarkable progress. A great network of railways grew up, linking towns and cities across the country. Scientists, inventors and engineers such as Charles Darwin, Alexander Graham Bell and Isambard Kingdom Brunel changed the way people understood the world and moved through it.
Match each word from the passage to its correct meaning.
Wealthy Victorians employed in their homes. Children worked at steam-powered machines in , and deep underground in . New connected towns and cities.