Year 4 Visit to Southwell Workhouse

Yesterday, Year 4 had an amazing time at Southwell Workhouse. The workhouse was founded back in the 1840s by a local clergyman and funded by the parish. When Year 4 visited, not too much had changed since those early days! The National Trust staff, predominantly volunteers, were dressed in period costume and treated the children as genuine, bona fide paupers. All of the pupils were dressed in authentic workhouse uniforms and treated as if they had fallen on hard times (just like Jim in our class book ‘Street Child’). The boys and the girls were segregated before meeting the Matron who spelled out exactly what was expected of them. Later, they were taken under the wing of some adult paupers who knew exactly how to play the workhouse system and gave them the benefit of their wisdom and experience. Despite the (imagined) hardships of the day, it was thoroughly enjoyed by all. And we learnt lots!