The Victorian Celebration of Death

The Victorian period was one of remarkable urban development, industrial expansion, and population growth, with all the attendant problems. The mortality rate was high, with epidemics, poor hygiene and a lack of clean water largely to blame. Disposal of the dead was therefore a problem. This little known side of reform in Victorian Britain is documented here as a vast achievment in the civilizing of urban man. The author takes into account religious, social, architectural, monumental, and landscaping facets. Along the way, he describes some major Victorian funerals (notably that of the Duke of Wellington) and ends with the Queen's own funeral in 1901, an awe-inspiring occasion in which representatives of many nations and peoples took part.