The Workhouse, Southwell
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The Workhouse, also known as Greet House, in the town of Southwell,
Nottinghamshire Nottinghamshire (; abbreviated ''Notts.'') is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. The county is bordered by South Yorkshire to the north-west, Lincolnshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south, and Derbyshire to the west. Th ...
, England, is a museum operated by the
National Trust The National Trust () is a heritage and nature conservation charity and membership organisation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Trust was founded in 1895 by Octavia Hill, Sir Robert Hunter and Hardwicke Rawnsley to "promote the ...
, opened to the public in 2002.Birthday party for workhouse. ''Chad'', 21 March 2012, p.14. Accessed 4 February 2022 Built in 1824, it was the prototype of the 19th-century
workhouse In Britain and Ireland, a workhouse (, lit. "poor-house") was a total institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. In Scotland, they were usually known as Scottish poorhouse, poorh ...
, and was cited by the Royal Commission on the poor law as the best example among the existing workhouses, before the resulting
New Poor Law The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834 ( 4 & 5 Will. 4. c. 76) (PLAA) known widely as the New Poor Law, was an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom passed by the Whig government of Earl Grey denying the right of the poor to subsistence. It c ...
of 1834 led to the construction of workhouses across the country. It was designed by
William Adams Nicholson William Adams Nicholson (8 August 1803 – 8 April 1853) was an English architect who worked in Lincoln, England, Lincoln and was a founding member of the Royal Institute of British Architects. Life Born on 8 August 1803 at Southwell, Nottingha ...
, an architect of Southwell and Lincoln, together with the Revd. John T. Becher, a pioneer of workhouse and prison reform involving daily tasks of hard labour by breaking stones and recycling of
oakum Oakum is a preparation of tarred fibers used to seal gaps. Its traditional application was in shipbuilding for caulking or packing the joints of timbers in wooden vessels and the deck planking of iron and steel ships. Oakum was also used in p ...
."Art exhibits will strike a balance". ''Chad'', 24 August 2011, p.31. Accessed 8 April 2023 It is described by the National Trust as the best-preserved workhouse in England. The building remained in use until the early 1990s, when it was used to provide temporary accommodation for mothers and children. Its acquisition by the National Trust reflected the organisation's wish to broaden its interests and to ensure the continued existence of a Grade II*
listed building In the United Kingdom, a listed building is a structure of particular architectural or historic interest deserving of special protection. Such buildings are placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Hi ...
that was potentially to be turned into residential flats. Restoration work began with roof repairs in 2000 and is ongoing. Many rooms have been redecorated as they would have looked in the 19th century and buildings, walls and privies, which had been demolished in the 20th century, have been reinstated. The laundry drying room was opened in March 2012, coinciding with long-service presentations to staff and volunteers by (then) National Trust director-general,
Fiona Reynolds Dame Fiona Claire Reynolds (born 29 March 1958) is a British former civil servant and chair of the National Audit Office. She was previously master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge and director-general of the National Trust. Since January 2022 ...
. In 2013, the site received the Sandford Award for Heritage Education, as a learning-facility for local schoolchildren.The Workhouse National Trust, Southwell, Nottinghamshire
Southwell case Study, Heritage Education Trust. Retrieved 23 May 2022
In 2015 the property was featured in ''
24 Hours in the Past ''24 Hours in the Past'' is a BBC One living history TV series first broadcast in 2015. Six celebrities were immersed in a recreation of impoverished life in Victorian Britain. Each of the four episodes represented 24 hours living and working in ...
''.


See also

*
Grade II* listed buildings in Nottinghamshire There are over 20,000 Grade II* listed buildings in England. This page is a list of these buildings in the county of Nottinghamshire, by district. Ashfield Bassetlaw Broxtowe ...
*
Listed buildings in Upton, Newark and Sherwood Upton, Newark and Sherwood, Upton is a civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district of Nottinghamshire, England. The parish contains 24 listed buildings that are recorded in the National Heritage List for England. Of these, one is listed at ...


References

Notes Bibliography *


External links


The Workhouseand Infirmary, information at the National Trust
*
BBC Radio 4, 2007/08: Fearnought (poems for Southwell Workhouse)
{{coord, 53.0810, -0.9393, type:landmark_region:GB, display=title Grade II* listed buildings in Nottinghamshire National Trust properties in Nottinghamshire Workhouses in Nottinghamshire Museums in Nottinghamshire History museums in Nottinghamshire Southwell, Nottinghamshire Upton, Newark and Sherwood