I really enjoyed visiting The Workhouse, and learning more about England’s history, but I’ve struggled with coming up exactly how to write about it. It’s one of those places that seems like there is a good idea behind it, helping the poor, getting them off the street and giving them shelter and food. Yet the people who lived there hardly lived a life at all.
A workhouse was a place for people to go when they had nowhere else to go. The idea was that food and board would be provided, in exchange for working – often very menial tasks. The Workhouse in Southwell made sure that it was a place only the most desperate of people went to seek refuge, and the people who were looking for a free ride soon left. Families that came in were separated and only allowed to see each other for a short time on Sundays. The men and women were then divided into the elderly and those unable to work known as the “blameless poor” and the able bodied unemployed known as “idle”. The “blameless poor” were treated quite tenderly while the “idle” men and women were put to work to really earn their keep. The children were given a little education so that they would be prepared once they left the workhouse, and often times were set up with apprenticeships. 
We opted to get audio guides at the beginning of the tour, and they were great. Giving a background of what each room and outside would be used for, and offering up humorous skits.
Since the basement was the coolest place of the property this was where all the meat was kept and cured, along with other food that needed to be kept cooler so that it could last longer. 
{Replica beds of what a traditional room may have looked like}
In 1929 the New Poor Law enacted in 1834 was disbanded and workhouses were given to the local authorities to run. The Workhouse still continued to function as a place to care for the elderly and those in need. It provided shelter for the homeless until 1976. In the 1980’s it became a home for the elderly. The above three pictures are what one of the rooms would have looked like in the 60’s and 70’s with the poor and homeless seeking shelter here. On the audio guide you can hear a story from a little girl who lived here with her mother and brother at the time, and how challenging life was.
We opted to get audio guides at the beginning of the tour, and they were great. Giving a background of what each room and outside would be used for, and offering up humorous skits.Since the basement was the coolest place of the property this was where all the meat was kept and cured, along with other food that needed to be kept cooler so that it could last longer. {Replica beds of what a traditional room may have looked like}In 1929 the New Poor Law enacted in 1834 was disbanded and workhouses were given to the local authorities to run. The Workhouse still continued to function as a place to care for the elderly and those in need. It provided shelter for the homeless until 1976. In the 1980’s it became a home for the elderly. The above three pictures are what one of the rooms would have looked like in the 60’s and 70’s with the poor and homeless seeking shelter here. On the audio guide you can hear a story from a little girl who lived here with her mother and brother at the time, and how challenging life was.As I said, when I first learned about workhouses in the 19th century I thought they were a good system that helped the needy in exchange for a bit of work. What I found out was that they really were last ditch efforts, lived in by desperate people, as you lost all of your dignity and self respect in places like this.
If you’d like to visit the Workhouse and learn more about it, you can visit the National Trust website here for opening times and prices.
