Britain has always been a multicultural country, its port cities – where refugees, merchants and travellers first make landfall – melting pots of culture, race and religion. Henry Mayhew was a collector of information in the Victorian period and his work provides some of the most vivid examples of what life was like in the poorer parts of London. These written accounts can be used to help children recognise that cities such as London have always been places where different people have lived together.
