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. [1] 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. [2] [3] 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. [4] 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, coinciding with long-service presentations to staff and volunteers by (then) National Trust director-general, Fiona Reynolds. [1]
In 2013, the site received the Sandford Award for Heritage Education, as a learning-facility for local schoolchildren. [5] [6] [7]
In 2015 the property was featured in 24 Hours in the Past .
In Britain and Ireland, a workhouse was an institution where those unable to support themselves financially were offered accommodation and employment. In Scotland, they were usually known as poorhouses. The earliest known use of the term workhouse is from 1631, in an account by the mayor of Abingdon reporting that "we have erected wthn [sic] our borough a workhouse to set poorer people to work".
St James's University Hospital is in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England and is popularly known as Jimmy's. It is one of the United Kingdom's most famous hospitals due to its coverage on television. It is managed by the Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust.
The Thackray Museum of Medicine in Leeds, West Yorkshire, England, is a museum of the history of medicine adjacent to St James's University Hospital. It opened in March 1997 as the Thackray Medical Museum. In 1998 it won "Museum of the Year" and has other awards including in 2004 both the "Excellence in England Small Tourist Attraction of the Year" and "Sandford Award for Heritage Education".
Southwell is a minster and market town in the district of Newark and Sherwood in Nottinghamshire, England. It is home to the grade-I listed Southwell Minster, the cathedral of the Anglican Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham. The population of the town was recorded at 7,491 in the 2021 census. The town is on the River Greet and is located geographically 9 miles (14 km) west of Newark on Trent, 15 miles (24 km) northeast of Nottingham, 13 miles (21 km) southeast of Mansfield and 22 miles (35 km) southeast of Worksop.
Bilsthorpe is a village and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district of Nottinghamshire, England. According to the 2001 census it had a population of 3,076, increasing to 3,375 at the 2011 census, and dropping slightly to 3,365 at the 2021 census. It is located near the junction of the A614 and A617, around 5 miles south of Ollerton, 9 miles east of Mansfield and 6 miles north-west of Southwell.
Annesley Hall is a Grade II listed country house near Annesley in Nottinghamshire, England and the ancestral home of the Chaworth-Musters family. The 13th-century park, 17th-century terraces and 19th-century pleasure gardens and walled gardens of the hall are Grade II* listed on the Register of Historic Parks and Gardens.
Maplebeck is a village and civil parish in Nottinghamshire, England and located 6 miles north of the town of Southwell. It is surrounded by the villages and parishes of Caunton, Eakring, Kneesall, Kersall and Winkburn. It is one of only five villages in England to have a church dedicated to St Radegund and it is also one of only 51 Thankful Villages in England and Wales – those rare places that were spared fatalities in the Great War of 1914 to 1918. The parish church of St Radegund was extensively restored in 1898. 106 residents were reported at the 2021 census.
The Church of St Mary of the Purification is a parish church in the Church of England in Blidworth, Nottinghamshire, dating from the 15th century. It is a Grade II* listed building.
St Nicholas Church is a redundant Anglican church in the hamlet of Littleborough, Nottinghamshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust.
St Gregory's Church is a redundant Anglican church in Fledborough, Nottinghamshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. The church stands at the end of a lane, in meadows near the River Trent.
St Michael's Church is a redundant Anglican church in the village of Cotham, Nottinghamshire, England. The building dates back to the 12th century.
Elston Chapel is a redundant Anglican church to the north-east of the village of Elston, Nottinghamshire, England. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade I listed building, and is under the care of the Churches Conservation Trust. It stands in a field and is described as a "solitary barn-like chapel".
William Adams Nicholson (1803–1853) was an English architect who worked in Lincoln and was a founding member of the Royal Institute of British Architects.
St Radegund's Church, Maplebeck is a Grade I listed Church of England parish in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham in Maplebeck.
St Oswald's Church, East Stoke is a Grade II* listed Church of England parish in the Diocese of Southwell and Nottingham in East Stoke, Nottinghamshire.
Richard Ingleman (1777–1838) was a surveyor and architect of Southwell in Nottinghamshire, England. Initially his architectural practice was based on the Southwell area, but he won widespread respect for his designs for the Southwell House of Correction (1807–8). This led to his gaining major commissions for prisons and mental hospitals, particularly in Wiltshire and at Oxford.
All Saints' Church, Strelley is a Grade I listed parish church in the Church of England in Strelley, Nottinghamshire.
Jenner's School is a Grade II* listed former school in Bath Road, Cricklade, Wiltshire, England. It was built in 1652 and then became a workhouse. It became a school again in the 19th century and is now a community hall.
The Church of St Edmund is on Old Manor Road, Mansfield Woodhouse, Nottinghamshire, England. It is an active Church of England parish church in the deanery of Mansfield, the Archdeaconry of Newark, and the Southwell and Nottingham diocese. Its benefice has two churches, St Edmund’s is the main parish church, also the Church of St Chad, Pleasley Vale. The church is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building.
Newark Hospital is a health facility in Newark-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire, England. It is managed by the Sherwood Forest Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
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