‘London: A Pilgrimage’ is a work of social journalism that explores the poverty and struggles in mid-Victorian London. The Victorian era, during the reign of Queen Victoria, was the most important period for the British Empire due to rapid technological, political, economic, and cultural developments brought about by the Industrial Revolution. This period saw the middle class grow quickly, while the poor remained in harsh conditions. Written from a direct and unflinching perspective, the book highlights the grim realities of 19th-century London, showing that while London is a great, modern city, it also has a chaotic and dark past.

   When I first arrived in London, it looked like a very classical and beautiful city, and I expected to find many good things about it. One of the best features of London is its many green spaces. I heard that many public parks are located within short distances of residents to help restore nature and improve environmental quality. I found parks have a role for reserving wildlife and green spaces and I thought that is why I can see various creatures that are hard to find in city like swans and geese. Also, one reason I like London is that there are many museums and galleries where you can learn about various fields such as art, history, and culture. London is a city known for its diverse cultural heritage and long history. They brought different cultures from other countries in the 19th century, so I can learn about other countries’ histories through the exhibitions.

   However, I was shocked to discover many negative aspects while staying in London. The most surprising was the number of homeless people. Whenever I went to places like Underground stations or supermarkets, I often saw people on the streets trying to steal food or other items. I realised that people can become homeless due to the lack of affordable housing, rising rents, and the increasing cost of living. London is one of the places with high rent, so many people there are at risk of becoming homeless. While I saw some difficult situations with homeless people, I felt even more upset when I learned why the number of homeless people is increasing.

I visited London Museum that was located Docklands for learning a history of Docklands. The history was quite long and difficult to understand, but I was impressive of the story of slaveries for sugar cultivation. Docklands was used as a port for transporting goods to other countries, and they began exploiting workers from African societies for sugar cane plantations. I saw displays that showed the abuse of workers, including tools used for punishment and works with messages calling for their freedom. I felt sad when I saw them, and I thought it’s important for people to remember that there were painful stories in the UK’s past.

After visiting the London Museum, I realised that most museums in the UK are free to enter. This made me wonder why museum entry is free. I found out that since 2001, they decided to reduce or remove entry fees to museums and galleries to give everyone the opportunity to see cultural heritage and exhibits. This decision led to a rapid increase in the number of visitors. In addition, I realised that most visitors were from lower social classes, while other groups were less represented. I was surprised that the number of people from lower class had sharp growth as entry fees to museums and galleries were removed. I figured that free entry for everyone is meant to provide opportunities to view various exhibitions and heritages, regardless of their social status. So, I decided to base my project on the idea of free entry to museums and galleries for everyone, as a way to show respect for lower social classes.

After that, I researched the causes of homelessness through various social articles. They mentioned that one in every 200 houses in the UK is experiencing homelessness, emphasising that the UK is not going well as other developed countries in addressing this issue. They indicated that homeless people often suffer from common health issues, such as cardiovascular disease, as a result of living in temporary accommodations with poor environmental conditions. Through this situation, charities are working to raise donations and find solutions, like giving homeless people their own homes, lowering rent, and providing the support services they need. From my perspective, I would suggest adding educational support for the homeless, allowing them free access to learning opportunities, similar to how museums and galleries offer free entry to everyone, regardless of social class.

In addition, I also searched UK politics regarding equality and discovered that the Equality Act 2010 was established to eliminate discrimination, create equal opportunities, and foster good relations among different groups. This British law legally protects individuals from bias in the workplace and broader society. It changed previous anti-discrimination legislation with a single Act, making it easier to understand and strengthening protection in some situations. This law protects people from discrimination on the grounds of protected characteristics like age, disability, gender reassignment, religion and race. I also found that goverments set the measures for poverty like increasing the number of high-paying jobs and improving access to good quality education and skill traning. But I thought they need to focus more on fighting poverty and giving better help to underprivileged people. So, I want to emphasize the importance of their right to receive a good education, just like how they are allowed to access museums and galleries for free.