# Vagrancy Cells, St Mary's Hospital, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire, January 2015



## HughieD (Jan 25, 2016)

Been a bit quiet on the report front due to work and family. Managed a quick pop over to this place one afternoon. Missed it first time around but found my quarry this time. It's an interesting place but very, very dark. All tripod shots. Stupidly forgot my torch so it was natural light only. Not the greatest set of pix I've taken but not too bad in the circumstances.

A bit of history. St. Mary’s was used originally a workhouse. It was later used as a hospital. The first major vagrancy law was passed in 1349 but it was the Vagrancy Act of 1824 made it an offence to sleep rough or beg. It was introduced to deal with the increasing numbers of homeless and penniless people in England and Wales following the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 and (harshly) assumed that homelessness was due to idleness. 

Records of a workhouse in Melton date back to 1777. Records from 1835 indicate the workhouse was in the town on Back Street. A new workhouse was built in 1836 on the east side of Thorpe Road providing somewhere poor people in the area could go and in return for food and clothing they were given work to do. It was designed by Charles Dyer at a cost of £6,000 with accommodation for three hundred people. Historic records cite it rarely being more than half full at any particular time. It contained work cells for stone-breaking at the southern side. The cells walls contained outlet grids (now bricked up) through which small pieces of broken stone were placed.

A campaign to achieve listed status for the old 19th century Melton Union Workhouse and the vagrant cells failed in 2001. Government officials rejected the request citing the fact that the buildings didn't meet standards set out by English Heritage guidelines. One suggestion to save the place was to move the vagrant cells brick-by-brick to another location.

Only a few pictures so here they are.

The fairly uninteresting side view:


img3395 by HughieDW, on Flickr

A nicely brick-decorated gable end though...


img3393 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Colder inside or out?


img3359 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img3372 by HughieDW, on Flickr



img3380 by HughieDW, on Flickr

A rather uninviting looking bed in one of the cells...


img3377 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img3374 by HughieDW, on Flickr


img3375 by HughieDW, on Flickr

...and an old desk too:


img3371 by HughieDW, on Flickr

And finally an old toilet cistern:


img3362 by HughieDW, on Flickr

Thanks for looking!


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## tumble112 (Jan 25, 2016)

That b&w shot is a stunner! Nice one again, this really conveys the atmosphere. But it doesn't look like much on the outside.


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## Rubex (Jan 25, 2016)

Very nice HughieD  I love the old bed in there!


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## smiler (Jan 25, 2016)

You got some atmospheric shots Hughie, I enjoyed it, Thanks


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## Mikeymutt (Jan 25, 2016)

Lovely set there hughie..very apmospheric this place


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## HughieD (Jan 25, 2016)

Cheers folks...much appreciated.


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## flyboys90 (Jan 26, 2016)

Bet this was a horrible place to get locked in!Great images.


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## The Wombat (Jan 26, 2016)

Not far from me this place

Nice work Hughie; it is very dark and photographically challenging here


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## HughieD (Jan 26, 2016)

The Wombat said:


> Not far from me this place
> 
> Nice work Hughie; it is very dark and photographically challenging here



Cheers mate. Would have given you a shout but it was a last minute eat, shoot and leaves jobbie!


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