On the street in nineteenth-century London

Pooley, Colin (2021) On the street in nineteenth-century London. Urban History, 48 (2). pp. 211-226. ISSN 0963-9268

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Abstract

This paper uses statements made at London’s Central Criminal Court (The Old Bailey) by victims and witnesses of crime in nineteenth-century London to reveal the hidden history of pedestrian movement on the city’s streets. It demonstrates that men and women of all ages and social groups walked the streets at most times of the day and night, and argues that walking was not only a normal and taken-for-granted activity, but that pedestrianism could contribute to the development of a community of the street.