S. W. Raine

Welcome to the final part of the things I’ve researched!

Being a steampunk author, I’ve done a lot of research, especially with the Victorian era. I know steampunk is fiction, but I like to put as much realism into certain aspects of the novel as I can.

Grab a sneak peek into my research world, and see the last few things I’ve learned.

You can see part 1 here and part 2 here.

1. 1. London Docks.
   The London Docks were one of several sets of docks in the historic Port of London. Traditionally, ships had docked at wharves on the River Thames, but by the late 1700s, more capacity was needed. The docks specialised in high-value luxury commodities such as ivory, spices, coffee, and cocoa, as well as wine and wool.
2. 2. Coldbath Prison.
   Coldbath Fields Prison housed prisoners on short sentences of up to two years, with blocks to segregate felons, misdemeanants, and vagrants. In the 19th century, Coldbath became notorious for its strict regime of silence (where prisoners were forbidden to communicate with each other) and its use of the treadmill (forcing the prisoners into hard labor. Some prisoners did the equivalent of climbing 8,640 feet [2.6 k]).
3. 3. Pickpocketing.
   Pickpocketing is one of the oldest and most widespread crimes in the world. And just like in a magic show, the major method at work is distraction. Humans can usually only focus their attention on one thing, so if you give them something to focus on, they won’t pay attention to their money and valuables. One of the most effective distractions is sex. And some pickpockets play on compassion in their distractions, while others want to bring your attention to your valuables instead of distracting you from them. For example, by yelling “Somebody just stole my wallet!” in a crowd, most people’s automatic reaction is to make sure they still have their own wallet, so they’ll pat whatever pocket it’s in, showing the pickpocket exactly where to look.

Let me know what your most surprising takeaway was!

Raine