place

The Workhouse, Southwell

Grade II* listed buildings in NottinghamshireHistory museums in NottinghamshireMuseums in NottinghamshireNational Trust properties in NottinghamshireSouthwell, Nottinghamshire
Upton, Newark and SherwoodUse British English from February 2023Workhouses in Nottinghamshire
Southwell Workhouse
Southwell Workhouse

The Workhouse, also known as Greet House, in the town of Southwell, Nottinghamshire, England, is a museum operated by the National Trust, opened to the public in 2002. Built in 1824, it was the prototype of the 19th-century workhouse, 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 of 1834 led to the construction of workhouses across the country. It was designed by William Adams Nicholson, 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. 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 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, co-inciding with long-service presentations to staff and volunteers by (then) National Trust director-general, Fiona Reynolds.In 2013, the site received the Sandford Award for Heritage Education, as a learning-facility for local schoolchildren.In 2015 the property was featured in 24 Hours in the Past.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article The Workhouse, Southwell (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

The Workhouse, Southwell
Pauper's path, Newark and Sherwood

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: The Workhouse, SouthwellContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 53.081 ° E -0.9393 °
placeShow on map

Address

The Workhouse

Pauper's path
NG25 0PT Newark and Sherwood
England, United Kingdom
mapOpen on Google Maps

Southwell Workhouse
Southwell Workhouse
Share experience

Nearby Places

Southwell Minster
Southwell Minster

Southwell Minster, formally the Cathedral and Parish Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a Church of England cathedral in Southwell, England. The cathedral is the seat of the bishop of Southwell and Nottingham and the mother church of the diocese of Southwell and Nottingham; it is governed by a dean and chapter. It is a grade I listed building.The current church is the successor to one built in 956 by Oscytel, archbishop of York. Some late eleventh century fabric survives from this church, but the majority of the building dates from between 1108 and c. 1150, when it was reconstructed in the Romanesque style. The chancel was rebuilt from 1234 to 1251 in the Early English Gothic style. In 1288 the chapter house was built; it is decorated with carved foliage of exceptional quality. The minster's rood screen is also of high quality. During the Middle Ages Southwell was part of the large diocese of York, and the archbishop maintained a palace adjacent to the minster. Although it was not a cathedral, the minster acted as the mother church of the surrounding area; Ripon Cathedral and Beverley Minster fulfilled a similar function in other parts of the diocese. The church was collegiate from its foundation until 1841, although the college was twice dissolved and re-founded during the English Reformation. It was a parish church from 1841 until 1884, when it became the cathedral of a new diocese covering Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire; in 1927 the diocese was divided by the creation of the Diocese of Derby.