OS grid reference TL 27678 97337 Year built 1874 | Demolished 1938/39 Architect Frederick Peck | |
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Location Whittlesey, Cambridgeshire | ||
Whittlesey Workhouse was a workhouse in the Cambridgeshire town of Whittlesey. Constructed following the introduction of the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, the building was situated on land then known as Bassenhally Field. Its use as a workhouse ceased in 1930, and it was demolished several years later.
History
There is evidence of a workhouse in Whittlesey dating back to at least 1804, when it was located on Old Tavern Street (known today as Broad Street). This building could accommodate thirty people, the majority of whom were the elderly. Following increased unemployment in the Whittlesey area, a new larger workhouse was built in 1874; designed by Frederick Peck, it had a capacity of 200 and cost £8000.
Known locally as 'The Spike' because of its distinctive clock tower, the workhouse was a much-feared place. Families were segregated, with women allowed just one hour per day to spend with their children. Husbands and wives would only see each other on a Sunday when they attended St. Mary's Church, but even there they were not allowed to sit together. Passing tramps were provided with separate overnight accommodation, but were still expected to do some work, such as wood-chopping. The majority of people who entered the workhouse remained there until they died, and most of them—with the exception of one war victim—were given pauper's funerals.
In 1921, a boiler room was added at the back of the building and a bathroom installed. Bucket lavatories (situated by staircases and emptied daily) were still in use, however, and whilst education was now an option, children had to make the majority of their uniforms themselves. Conditions did improve during the 1920s though, to the extent that by 1930, the building was little more than a hospital caring for sick townspeople, mainly the elderly. Subsequently, the workhouse closed and fell into dereliction. Nearby Coates school used part of the building between June 1937 and April 1938 whilst their own was extended and renovated to cope with overcrowding.
Overcrowding was an issue in Whittlesey schools too, and during the 1930s the need for a new senior school was established. In June 1938, the Board of Education was prepared to approve plans to use the Workhouse as a school until a new one was built, but for unknown reasons it was instead demolished in 1938/39. Sir Harry Smith Community College was built on the site in the early 1950s.