Victorian era
Where can I find facts and information about life in the Victorian era?
(Years 5-8)
Image: School portrait of a class of boys & teachers by [unknown]. Collection: Te Papa (modified from original).
Entry last updated: 26/05/22
Introduction
The Victorian era is the period when Queen Victoria was Queen of England. Her reign began on 20 June 1837 and ended when she died on 22 January 1901. Daily life in Victorian times was very different from life today, both in Britain and in New Zealand.
General websites
These are great websites that have useful and reliable information about daily life and key events in the Victoria era.
Britannica School is part of EPIC, a collection of reliable databases put together especially for New Zealand schools.
Use search words 'Victorian era' to bring up results.
Try the link called Victorian Age (19th century).
Look for the headings Social Conditions and Cultural life and Industrial and Scientific Progress.
Tips: To get to the EPIC resources you will need a password from your school librarian first. Or you can chat with one of our AnyQuestions librarians between 1 and 6 pm Monday to Friday and they will help you online.
BBC Bitesize is a website set up to help British students with school work. It has articles, photos, and videos.
Enter 'Victorian Britain' in the search box.
Select Life in Victorian Britain.
Choose either Queen Victoria, Victorian Life, or Victorian Society to find out more about these topics.
At the bottom of the page are links to more resources about Victorian Britain from the BBC.
Tips: Websites that have .com or .co in the address can have good information, but you need to assess how reliable it is. Check the About the BBC link at the end of the page.
This website is run by BBC, a reliable British news agency. We can expect the information to be accurate even though it appears the page is no longer being updated.
From the list select Victorian Britain (1837 - 1901).
Then select Go to Victorians.
New Zealand websites
New Zealand websites are the perfect place to find information about New Zealand during the Victorian era.
Te Ara: The Encyclopedia of New Zealand
This website is another excellent starting point for all questions about New Zealand Aotearoa. There is lots of information about everyday life, education, architecture and more in New Zealand in the Victorian era. Most stories have information about New Zealand in the 19th century.
Use keywords such as 'Victorian era,' '19th century', 'Victorian architecture' or Victorian families in the search box.
Explore the articles and images that come up eg 19th-century domestic architecture.
Tips: Search words, or keywords, are the most important words in our question. We can always change our keywords or add more if we need to.
NZHistory is a great website for information about New Zealand Aotearoa.
Go to the Topics section.
Select Culture and Society.
Select Decade Studies.
Choose the page called History of New Zealand 1769-1914.
Tips: NZHistory and Te Ara are great for information about New Zealand Aotearoa. They both belong to the Ministry for Culture & Heritage, so the information is well-researched and reliable.
Books
There have been many books written about the Victorian era - check out your local public or school library to see what they have.
Some recommended titles are:
The Victorians by Ruth Brocklehurst
Villainous Victorians by Terry Deary
Victorian children by Brenda Williams
Victorians by Ann Kramer.
SCIS no: 1845083
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