8th January 2026 · 8 min read

Consumer Culture, Retrospective, Victorian Studies

Revisiting Victorian Consumer Culture: A Decade of New Perspectives

Nearly a decade has passed since over 330 scholars gathered at Cardiff University for the BAVS 2016 conference, "Consuming (the) Victorians." The event brought together a remarkable diversity of perspectives on Victorian consumer culture, and the themes explored during those three days in late August and early September 2016 have continued to resonate and develop in the years since.

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14th June 2024 · 7 min read

Digital Humanities, Material Culture

Victorian Material Culture in the Digital Age

The digital revolution has transformed nearly every area of academic research, and Victorian studies is no exception. Resources such as The Victorian Web, which has been providing freely accessible scholarly material on the Victorian period for over two decades, exemplify the possibilities that digital platforms offer for the study and dissemination of nineteenth-century culture.

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22nd November 2021 · 7 min read

Interdisciplinary Research, Victorian Studies

Interdisciplinary Approaches to Nineteenth-Century Studies

One of the defining characteristics of Victorian studies as a field has been its commitment to interdisciplinary inquiry. From its earliest days, the study of the nineteenth century has drawn together scholars of literature, history, art, science, religion, and philosophy, recognising that the richness and complexity of the Victorian period cannot be adequately captured from any single disciplinary perspective.

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15th March 2019 · 8 min read

Cardiff, Victorian Architecture, William Burges

The Legacy of William Burges at Cardiff Castle

Among the many architectural treasures of Wales, Cardiff Castle stands as one of the finest examples of Victorian Gothic Revival design anywhere in Britain. The castle's extraordinary interiors, created by the architect William Burges between 1868 and 1881, remain a powerful testament to the ambition and artistry of the Victorian period.

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12th October 2016 · 7 min read

Conference Review, BAVS 2016

Reflections on Consuming (the) Victorians

More than a month has passed since the closing session of the 2016 annual conference of the British Association for Victorian Studies, held at Cardiff University from 31st August to 2nd September. With over 330 delegates in attendance, the event brought together a remarkable breadth of scholarship on the theme of "Consuming (the) Victorians."

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18th July 2016 · 6 min read

Consumer Culture, Victorian History

Victorian Consumer Culture: From Department Stores to Mass Markets

As the British Association for Victorian Studies prepares for its 2016 annual conference at Cardiff University, the theme of "Consuming (the) Victorians" invites scholars to reconsider the profound changes that took place in British commercial life during the nineteenth century.

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