Victorians' Love for Filthy Literature: A Journey through Hollywell Street

Hollywell Street in Victorian London was a hub of pornography and smutty bookshops, attracting people with risqué literature and explicit titles. Despite the Victorians' prudish reputation, they had a strong appetite for porn, and Hollywell Street became the epicenter of the porn trade. William Dugdale, the first "porn baron," thrived in this business, utilizing subterfuge and changing addresses to evade authorities. He published and sold a variety of explicit works, exploiting the demand for sexual fiction. The authorities made efforts to shut down Hollywell Street, citing traffic congestion as a reason for demolition. In 1901, the street was destroyed, leading the porn industry to move westward, eventually establishing a presence in Soho. Victorian porn, often explicit and bordering on assault, was characterized by a distinctive writing style, combining formal, florid language with explicit sexual descriptions. Flagellation was a popular theme in Victorian erotica, intertwining punishment and sexual desire. Despite attempted suppression, the demand for porn persisted, and the legacy of Hollywell Street and its explicit literature lives on.