Fordingbridge
 

Fordingbridge  Workhouse

The original Union Workhouse was situated in Shaftesbury Street, but a call was made for a new purpose built workhouse to accommodate the poor. The new Workhouse took 15 months to build at the central site known as "The Bartons". The architect being Mr. Fred Bath of Salisbury, and the builder Mr. John Greenwood.

Extract from Salisbury and Winchester Journal

Nov 27th 1886
The buildings comprise, the entrance block (on the right Hand), containing porter's room, receiving wards, bath room and lavatory, cells for male and female vagrants, with day room, labour shed, fumigating room with conveniences.
The entrance block (on the left hand), contains board room with strong room, lavatory &c, waiting room, shoemaker's room, rooms for aged married couples and store for inmates clothes. Beyond is the main block providing accommodation for able-bodied, infirm and very infirm inmates of both sexes, with bath rooms, lavatories, stores & c., Master's Office, sitting room and bedrooms, large and well proportioned dining-hall with convenient kitchens and offices adjoining. In the able-bodied Women's yard is the wash-house, laundry and other offices, with a large storage tank for supply of rain water. In the able-bodied men's yard is a large and convenient labour shed with well and pumping apparatus. The infirm Men and Women's yard have covered seats. The Children's block comprises boys and girls day rooms, school and class rooms, with Mistress' room, and large airy dormitories, with convenient and suitable bath rooms and lavatories. Special care has been bestowed upon the sanitary arrangements throughout, and the drainage is so arranged that almost any length of drain may be inspected at a moments notice by means of lamps and manholes placed in suitable positions with lidded pipes (to allow for removal of a stoppage without breaking the pipes). Bowes, Scott and Read's patent automatic flushing tanks are used for flushing purposes. 

Externally the buildings present a warm and pleasing appearance, being erected with the local red bricks relieved only by moulded cornices, strings, labels, aprons &c., of the same colour. The design is Queen Anne in character plainly treated, the good appearance being almost entirely obtained by careful proportion and grouping. In the centre of the main block rises a bold and somewhat quaint gable surmounted by a water tower, and terminating with an octagonal bell turret with vane and finial, the whole rising to a height of about 60 feet. The whole of the works have been satisfactorily carried out by Mr. John Greenwood, of Mansfield, Notts, from the design and under the personal superintendance of the architect Mr. Fred Bath, of Crown Chambers, Salisbury. Mr. Edwin Radford acted as Clerk of the works and Mr. Robert Orchardson was the contractor's resident agent.

The new Fordingbridge Union Workhouse was opened 22^nd December 1886 and could accommodate 100 inmates. The site of the old workhouse was then sold off in January 1887.   

LINK to Plans of Fordingbridge Workhouse

Inmates

Records

Hampshire Record Office
Sussex Street, 
Winchester 
SO23 8TH
Tel: 01962 846154
http://www.hants.gov.uk/record-office/index.html 

The Nursing Home  

Founded by Voluntary contributions following an idea by Lady Hulse. Situated in Church Street, Fordingbridge, it opened in January 1890 and was maintained by subscription from the Residents within the area.

Page updated August 06, 2007 by Rossbret