In Darkest England

In Darkest England

In 1890 William Booth published In Darkest England and the Way Out, his plan for tackling poverty in Britain, which became a best-seller. After its publication, The Salvation Army’s social work was formally organised as the Darkest England Scheme.

By then The Salvation Army had already begun initiatives in family tracing and adoption, as well as rescue homes, a maternity home, men’s hostels and slum posts.

Among the new initiatives launched as a part of the Darkest England Scheme was a model match factory located in Bow, which opened in 1891 in an attempt to improve the lot of the mainly female workforce who were poorly-paid and worked in exhausting, dangerous conditions.  This initiative contributed to the raising of standards in all British match factories.  

In 1907 an Anti-Suicide Bureau was also set up.  During the Bureau’s first three years over 1000 people were helped. 

You can find out more about the Darkest England scheme in our current temporary exhibition and in our digital collection.