By the 1840sReputable sourceWell documented
Life in the Industrial City
On the timeline · around By the 1840s ·
What happened
As factories drew workers from the countryside, Britain's cities swelled: the share of people living in towns rose from about 17% in 1801 to some 72% by 1891. Growth outran sanitation, and many labourers crowded into dark, overcrowded slums with contaminated water, where disease spread quickly.
Why it matters
The industrial city concentrated both the wealth and the misery of the age, driving reformers, writers, and eventually governments to confront public health, housing, and the human cost of industry.
Sources
- World History Encyclopedia. The Impact of the British Industrial Revolution · Reputable source