Poverty

'Mother could never pay the rent so we used to do a moonlight. We used to hire a barrow and put all the furniture on and move it to the next address.'

John Gorringe, 1940s

List of buildings making up the Brighton Poor Law Institution, 1920s, HA102781

Poverty has always existed in Brighton, but during the 1700s and early 1800s help for the poor was relatively generous. To cut costs, the Poor Law Amendment Act was passed in 1834. To obtain support, people were forced to enter workhouses where conditions were deliberately harsh so that only the totally destitute would seek help. The workhouse scheme operated until 1930.

In 1948 the Poor Law system was replaced by the Welfare State. The post war decades saw improvements in the standard of living of most Brightonians as thousands were employed in new factories on local industrial estates. Recessions in the 1980s and 1990s brought a slump in manufacturing industries. Many local factories closed leading to increased poverty in the town. However, recent years have again seen improvements in employment. Today, the city remains a place of contrasting wealth and poverty.

List of buildings making up the Brighton Poor Law Institution, 1920s, HA102781

Poverty

'Mother could never pay the rent so we used to do a moonlight. We used to hire a barrow and put all the furniture on and move it to the next address.' John Gorringe, 1940s

'Mother could never pay the rent so we used to do a moonlight. We used to hire a barrow and put all the furniture on and move it to the next address.'

John Gorringe, 1940s