The workhouse

Workhouses, places for poor people who could not care for themselves and their families, were common in the 18th and 19th centuries. In 1877 this one, then called the Dearnley Workhouse, was opened to accommodate 847 "inmates" and 29 "officers." Seventy guests attended the opening ceremony which was followed by a performance by the Orpheus Glee Club.

In 1902 an Infirmary was built nearby. During the First World War, the building became a military hospital. Part continued to be run as a Poor Law Institution until the National Health Service was formed in 1948 when the site became a single hospital - Birch Hill. Most hospital services have now moved away from the site but the main building with the prominent tower remains, both as a treasured local landmark and a reminder of the days of the Workhouse.