Queen Victoria
Princess Victoria learnt that she was going to be Queen when she was only ten years old. She became Queen on 20th June 1837 at a time when the Industrial Revolution was changing the world. Early in her reign, a universal postal service was started and a network of railway lines gradually replaced the canal system as the main method of transport. Her husband, Prince Albert, encouraged new inventions and technology and worked hard to make the Great Exhibition a success. Victoria was always keen to try new things, for example she had her photograph taken shortly after the process was invented. She was one of the first people to use anaesthetic during childbirth and had the first telephone system in Britain installed at Osborne House. Britain had a large empire called the British Empire and larger and better ships like SS Great Britain were needed for trade between the different countries. Interest in other lands was great and Cleopatra's Needle, an Egyptian obelisk, was installed on the Thames Embankment in 1873. By the time of her death, in 1901, Britain had become a very different land from that over which Victoria had reigned in her youth. She reigned for 64 years. Which date did Victoria become Queen? What was her Husband called?
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What did Victoria have installed in Osbourne House? What was the empire called? Where did Cleopatra's Needle come from? When did Victoria die? How many years did she reigned for? Find out more about the Great Exhibition.
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