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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!
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 FlickrA nicely brick-decorated gable end though...
img3393 by HughieDW, on FlickrColder inside or out?
img3359 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg3372 by HughieDW, on Flickr
img3380 by HughieDW, on FlickrA rather uninviting looking bed in one of the cells...
img3377 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg3374 by HughieDW, on Flickrimg3375 by HughieDW, on Flickr...and an old desk too:
img3371 by HughieDW, on FlickrAnd finally an old toilet cistern:
img3362 by HughieDW, on FlickrThanks for looking!
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