Victorian Street Sweepers
From The BackTracker History Show by The Backtracker
June 8, 2026 · 24 min · Season 7 · Episode 20
About this episode
This episode explores the role of street sweepers in Victorian Britain and the challenges of urban life in the 19th century.
Victorian Street Sweepers Season: 7 Episode: 20 Before modern roads and pavements, crossing a busy city street could be filthy, dangerous, and sometimes impossible without help. In the crowded towns and cities of the 19th century, horse-drawn traffic left roads thick with mud, waste, and grime, creating an opportunity for one of Victorian Britain’s most overlooked jobs, the crossing sweeper. CAST Richard Rowe - Steve Sheperd Parson - Joe Wilson Henry Mayhew - Guy Pass Sam Scrape - Martin Palmer THIS PODCAST This podcast has been specially edited from a Bradley Stoke Radio show in Bristol, England. If you liked it please leave a rating and maybe a comment and if you’d like to support the show with a donation, however small, you can go to Ko-Fi.com Some more great news for you, if you were interested in buying merchandise featuring the show’s logo, then pop over to Teepublic , you’ll find lots of things to choose from. So, thankyou for listening and until next time guys, take care and look after each other. CONTACT ME Email: info@backtracker.co.uk Facebook: @BackTrackerUK Instagram: @backtrackeruk Bluesky: @BackTrackerUK - SOURCES Mayhew, Henry (2009). "London Labour and the London…
People in this episode
Guests: Richard Rowe, Steve Sheperd Parson, Joe Wilson, Guy Pass, Sam Scrape, Martin Palmer
Topics covered
- Victorian Britain
- street sweepers
- 19th century
- urban life
- public health
Keywords
- Victorian
- street sweepers
- urban history
- 19th century
- public health
- London
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Bradley Stoke Radio, Ko-Fi.com, Teepublic
Books & works: London Labour and the London Poor
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