Two-relay lodging house, East End of London
Wall Art and Photo Gifts from Mary Evans Picture Library
Two-relay lodging house, East End of London
A group of men stand outside a lodging house in the East End of London. This establishment employed the two-relay system where each bed was shared between two people, each of them having its use for 12 hours per day. Some lodging houses adopted a three-relay system where each occupant was allowed an 8-hour stint in the bed
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Media ID 4470647
© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10424823
Homeless Homelessness Hour Hours Lodging Occupant Poverty Relay Shared System Workhouse Workhouses 1902 Stint
EDITORS COMMENTS
This evocative photograph captures a group of men standing outside a lodging house in the East End of London, a notoriously impoverished area during the Edwardian era. The Two-Relay System, as seen in this image, was a common practice among some lodging houses in the East End to accommodate a larger number of homeless and impoverished men. In this system, each bed was shared between two people, with each occupant having use of the bed for only 12 hours per day. The men in this photograph appear to be taking a break from their brief stints in the cramped and shared beds, huddled together on the pavement outside. The Two-Relay System was an alternative to the workhouse system, which was often seen as a last resort for the destitute. However, even this meager form of housing was a struggle for many, as the long hours and arduous labor required men to be away from their beds for most of the day. The historical significance of this photograph lies in its portrayal of the harsh living conditions and the desperate measures taken by the homeless and impoverished during this period in London's history.
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