A place for those unable to support themselves and in urgent need of relief, the workhouse was arguably the backbone of the British welfare system throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Entering the workhouse was often the last resort for those in dire poverty.

Originating as far back as an Act of the Relief for the Poor 1601, the Old Poor Law sought to provide local, parish-based welfare through the poor-rate tax of local property owners. Although assisting those within their homes in what became known as ‘out-relief’, the search for a cheaper ‘indoor-relief’ alternative contributed to the development and evolution of the workhouse.

Life in the workhouse was often tricky, brutal and punishing. The New Poor Law was not designed to give those entering the workhouse any subsidy but rather to force the able-bodied into providing physical labour in exchange for their tenancy.

Throughout the rest of the 1800s, numerous acts were passed that continued to improve the legitimacy and functioning of the workhouse. The revised Poor Law Amendment Act (1844) prohibited all outdoor relief except those in exceptional circumstances. Other notable welfare developments, such as the Industrial Schools Act (1861) and the Metropolitan Poor Act (1867), established the premise for a better-devised and structured welfare system that is evident in our society today.

As society continued to change and the political establishment evolved, the Local Government Act (1929) gave local authorities the power to abolish workhouses within their constituency. However, it was not until the National Assistance Act (1948) that the last amendments of the Poor Law were finally abolished alongside any remaining workhouses.