The Gazette, Wed. 16th June

The Victorian Bank Holiday

In the first years of the Victorian period, trips away to such places as the seaside were mainly enjoyed by the wealthy upper class. They could afford to travel long distances by coach and horses, but when the railways were built things began to change. The famous Duke of Wellington objected to the railways, saying that the lower orders would move about too much!

During the second half of Queen Victoria's reign, working hours were shortened, wages rose steadily and prices of goods and food fell. From 1850 factories closed on Saturday afternoons and in 1871 a new law introduced four official Bank Holidays a year. For the first time since the upheavals of the industrial revolution, most working people had a little more money and a little more free time.

Cycling was a popular Victorian past-time. The Dacorum Heritage Trust cares for an old 'Penny-Farthing', one of the earliest forms of bicycle. Once the safety bicycle was brought out during 1885, it became popular with people who lived in towns, who could then ride out and explore the countryside.