Worcester, England 19th Century

THE 19th CENTURY In 1801 the population of Worcester was 13,000. It rose rapidly. The population was almost 30,000 and it reached 46,000 by the end of the century. The boundaries of Worcester were extended in 1837. A prison was built in Salt Lane in 1813. In 1818 a dispensary opened where the poor could obtain free medecines. Shire Hall was built in 1835. A corn exchange where grain could be bought and sold was built in 1849. The Worcester and Birmingham canal opened in 1815. The railway reached Worcester in 1850. From 1880 horse drawn trams ran in the streets. Like all 19th century towns Worcester was dirty and insanitary. An outbreak of cholera in 1832 killed 79 people. Another outbreak in 1849 killed 49. However conditions improved later in the 19th century. Sewers were dug under the street. In the early 19th century there was a piped water supply - but only for those who could afford it - most people could not. In the later 19th century the water supply was improved and extended to all the citizens. Worcester gained its first electricity supply in 1894. Pitchcroft was obtained by the council in 1899. In 1826 import duties on foreign gloves were removed - with disastarous results for the glove industry in Worcester. However other industries such as brickmaking, vinegar making and pottery continued to thrive. In the 19th century Worcester became an industrial town. Iron foundries were opened and engineering flourished. Worcester sauce was made in the town after 1837.