In 1882, Jericho was summed up as the home of those "engaged
for the most part in trading and industrial
occupations". Jericho was predominantly a working class suburb,
though not exclusively so. The houses near Worcester College on Walton Street,
and those in Richmond Road and Walton Crescent, were aimed at the lower
end of the middle class market and the inhabitants were keenly aware of
the social distinction. Apart from
the Press, other significant local employers included canal-related businesses
and Lucy's Eagle Ironworks which was relocated
to Walton Well Road in 1825. The area provided convenient homes for
people working in the city centre and, from the 1850s, for those employed
on the railways. In 1871, 31.4% of the occupied male population worked in
Manufacturing, including 11.0% in Printing; 20% worked in the Building trades,
10.8% in Transport, 9.4% in Shops and 7.5% in Domestic Service, including
College Service. Most working women and
girls worked in Dressmaking (33.4%) or Domestic Service (50.3%). However,
within these broad categories, working
lives were quite diverse.
