A Guide to a Workhouse

A Guide to a Workhouse

The buildings themselves were dreary, undecorated, prison-like

structures. There were no curves only sharp corners. There was no

architectural decoration. High walls surrounded the whole workhouse,

cutting off the view of the outside world from the inmates. Even the

windows were six feet from the floor, and a further 'adaptation' was

to have the window sills sloping downwards, preventing them from being

used as seats of shelves.

If heating was provided it was useless.

The workhouses were made to be awful to prevent people from going

there and finding work for themselves instead.

Workhouses contained dormitories, washrooms, workrooms, a solitary

confinement ward, the mortuary, bake-house, receiving wards, dining

halls and a chapel. Any sick or old person housed on the upper floors

would be virtually a prisoner in the ward because they would be unable

to get back down the stairs!

Space was usually rare. Too many people were crammed into the smallest

spaces possible: for example, eight beds could be put into a narrow

dormitory only sixteen feet long; thirty-two men were put into a

dormitory 20 feet long; ten children and their attendants were put

into a room 10 feet by 15 feet.

The hospital ward took in all cases, so at any one time there may have

been patients suffering from any variety of complaints ranging from

broken legs, measles, typhoid fever and smallpox to blindness, scarlet

fever, diphtheria and dysentery.

The basic furniture was a cheap wooden bed with a 'flock-filled' sack

as a mattress. Two or three blankets were provided, but pillows were

considered an uncalled for luxury. Sheets were not provided. Most

people shared a bed; the beds were arranged as in a barracks - two

rows of bunks. Other furniture included wooden stools or benches and

wooden tables. Few seats had arms or back-rests and none were

upholstered. The walls were 'decorated' with lists of rules, Bible

passages telling the inmates how lucky they were. There were no

newspapers, no books, no toys, and no games.