Until recently, the Strand workhouse, on Cleveland Street, housed the outpatients department for the Middlesex Hospital. Much of the original building still stands — though it is currently under threat of demolition. Vagrants made up a large proportion of most workhouse populations and were usually placed in more basic accommodation than that in the main workhouse.
Food usually consisted of bread and water, possibly with a little porridge in the more sympathetic institutions, but casuals were expected to work hard for their bed and board. A popular form of labour assigned to vagrants was the breaking of large stones into smaller pieces, which could then be used on the roads. The casual ward at Guildford Spike comprised a prison-like corridor of cells, many of which were used for stone breaking. The broken particles were then passed through a metal grid.
There are even suggestions that vagrants used a system of secret signs scratched outside workhouses to warn others of the treatment they could expect. On its opening on Nell Lane in , the Chorlton union workhouse could house up to 1, inmates and was one of the largest institutions of its kind in the country. Words by Charlotte Hodgman. The historical advisor was Peter Higginbotham, creator of www. Sign in. Back to Main menu Virtual events Masterclasses.
Home Period Victorian The rise and fall of the workhouse. Entering the workhouse was not simply a matter of turning up at the gate. More on: Social history. The Poor Law Amendment Act of , ensured that no able-bodied person could get poor relief unless they went to live in special workhouses.
The idea was that the poor were helped to support themselves. They had to work for their food and accommodation. Workhouses were where poor people who had no job or home lived.
They earned their keep by doing jobs in the workhouse. Also in the workhouses were orphaned children without parents and abandoned children, the physically and mentally sick, the disabled, the elderly and unmarried mothers. The Workhouse, Southwell, Nottinghamshire. The government, terrified of encouraging 'idlers' lazy people , made sure that people feared the workhouse and would do anything to keep out of it.
The workhouse system had many prominent critics, including the author Charles Dickens. Southwell's workhouse was built in by the Rev John Beecher, with its architecture influenced by prison design. It was one of the first examples of a notoriously harsh regime, which was adopted nationally in , to force vulnerable people to work in exchange for accommodation and food.
The workhouse was home to inhabitants - men, women and children - who were split up and forbidden from meeting. Those judged too infirm to work were called the "blameless" and received better treatment but the rest were forced into tedious, repetitive work such as rock breaking or rope picking. In , a new welfare system saw the end of Southwell's function as a workhouse and it was used as temporary homeless accommodation until However, the National Trust, which now owns the site, says some social historians view such shelters as similar to workhouses.
Image source, Susan Swinton. At school Susan first on the left was stigmatised because of where she lived. Coming to the workhouse was, at first, a relief for Susan but steadily the cramped confines wore her down. Susan describes her mother, Joan, as "a good mum" but the workhouse life meant she "gave up".
The whole family had to share one small room. Susan was left to take responsibility for her family, as her mother's health deteriorated. The overall feeling was one of having been forgotten. A small courtyard was the only outside space for the workhouse's 20th Century residents.
Tourists can learn about workhouse life by taking a tour of the premises. Among the volunteers is Susan. You may also be interested in:. The 'forgotten' bombing of Coventry The man who owns 1, meteorites The murder mystery 'worthy of Sherlock Holmes'. Susan now volunteers at the building, which is owned by the National Trust. To extend their work, pupils can create their own new Poor Law poster, either for or against the law.
Or they can be asked to write to the government complaining about the harshness of the new Poor Law. They could also work in groups to create an alternative plan to deal with the problem of the rising cost of looking after the poor. The lesson can also be used as a starting point for investigating the new Poor Law in more depth and discussing attitudes to the poor in 19th century Britain. The Workhouse The Workhouse often conjures up the grim world of Oliver Twist, but its story is a fascinating mix of social history, politics, economics and architecture.
Key stage 1 Events beyond living memory that are significant nationally Key stage 2 Changes in an aspect of social history; a significant turning point in British history Key stage 3 Ideas, political power, industry and empire: Britain, party politics, extension of the franchise and social reform.
Download: Lesson pack Related resources Factory Act Did it solve the problems of children in factories? This website uses cookies We place some essential cookies on your device to make this website work. Set cookie preferences. Skip to Main Content.
Search our website Search Discovery, our catalogue. View lesson as PDF. View full image. Lesson at a glance. Download: Lesson pack. What did people think of the new Poor Law? Some people welcomed it because they believed it would: reduce the cost of looking after the poor take beggars off the streets encourage poor people to work hard to support themselves The new Poor Law ensured that the poor were housed in workhouses, clothed and fed.
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