ABSTRACT
The nineteenth century, when Britain came to rule half the world. was a time of massive industrialization and urbanization. The growth of empire abroad and of great cities at home brought with it wealth for the few. For much of the population it brought exploitation, poverty, overcrowding and squalor. Gross inequality and harsh treatment were the hallmarks of Victorian Britain. But the misfortune of the many also brought forth the seeds of social movements that attempted to improve the lives of industrial workers and the urban poorinitiatives.that were to bear their fullest fruits in the twentieth century. Among these movements, attention was given for the first time to the application of architecture-of good design and construction-to social purposes.
