History trip to a Victorian workhouse On a freezing December morning our intrepid Year 12 Historians piled into the minibus for the short trip up the M1 to Ripon. The biting winter cold provided a suitably Dickensian backdrop for a visit to one of the best preserved Victorian workhouses in the country. Set up by the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act the workhouse was meant to strike fear into the population, looming over those who might have been struggling economically and 'inspiring' them towards selfsufficiency. Whilst not condemned to gruel twice a day and sleeping on straw mattresses, our students managed to gain a great insight into the routines and rhythms of workhouse life, including partaking in mind-numbing and physically challenging labour - from oakum picking to brass polishing!
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Our students managed to gain a great insight into the routines and rhythms of workhouse life
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They also participated in a role play from the position of those who had power in the workhouse system - the local poor law guardians - who decided which of their local poor should be allowed through the gates and which should be left to fend for themselves (a decision that could quite literally mean life or death). In the afternoon, students entered the Victorian courthouse and staged a mock trial, complete with full costume, centred upon the story of a pair of 19th century petty criminals who ended up being deported to Australia as punishment for their misdeeds. For girls studying the 19th century and, particularly, issues of poverty, welfare and public health, this was a trip that packed in a huge amount of rich learning and was hugely enjoyed by all. Mrs Potts
22 WGHS REVIEW
