Building the workhouse

When the Poor Law Amendment Act came into force in 1834, Sampson Kempthorne (1809–1873), a London architect, came up with two designs for workhouses, a square plan and a Y-shaped plan.

Both styles included offices, day rooms and service areas (kitchen, store rooms, laundry etc), separate wings for different groups of inmates (men, women, boys, girls, and the sick) and separate exercise yards: the sexes were kept strictly segregated.

The Abingdon Union selected a 12-acre site at Boxhill, on the northern edge of the town. The design chosen was a variation on the Y-shape, with a hexagonal wall enclosing outbuildings and the exercise yards, and the main building having four storeys instead of the usual three. Building began in March 1835, and was completed in six months.

The Governor’s rooms were in the centre, to enable easy oversight of and access to the entire building. There were separate school-rooms for boys and girls. In the first year a hot-water system and gas lighting were added.

Public Domain Mark. Annual report of the Poor Law Commissioners for England and Wales. Wellcome Collection. Source: Wellcome Collection.

About ten acres of land behind the workhouse were used as gardens for growing vegetables – mainly roots (potatoes, carrots, swedes, parsnips), peas and barley. There was a piggery for 12 pigs.

Obtaining the site

The conveyancing history of No. 4 Oxford Road contains details of the land changing hands. On 6th December 1836 a Deed of Enfeoffment was made between 4 parties:

1st part - The Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor of the Parish of St Helen Within and Without the Borough of Abingdon:

William Tyrrell
Thomas Fairbrother
Thomas Henley
William Ballard
John George
William Stacey

2nd part - The Guardians of the Poor of the Abingdon Union of Parishes:

William Badcock
James Williams
'and others'

3rd part - Richard Badcock

4th part - Richard Ellis (The first Governor of the Workhouse)

This evidently marks the moment when responsibility for the care of the poor passed from the Parish of St Helen's to the Abingdon Union.

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