| Summary : St Marylebone Workhouse was a parish workhouse built along Northumberland Street between 1775 and 1776. It could accommodate 1,000 inmates and cost £18,770 to construct. The architect was Alexander Allen, a local Guardian of the Poor. There had previously been a workhouse in St Marylebone dating back to 1730. The new workhouse building was two storeys high comprising a main block running north-south along Northumberland Street, with separate blocks at each end running east-west. In 1792, a new infirmary block accommodating 300 patients was built. The workhouse buildings were gradually expanded, including the addition of a new boy's school in 1827. In 1846, two 'nightly asylums', similar to casual wards, were built for male and female vagrants. The famine in Ireland was reaching its peak at this time, which led to St Marylebone, with a considerable Irish Community, being stretched to its limits with 2,264 inmates. In 1867, St Marylebone was forced to come under scope of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act. Casual wards designed by H Saxon Snell were built, and adorned with extracts from the bible on the walls. Inmates were given the tasks of cleaning the ward, picking oakum or breaking stones. A new board-room, offices and female aged and infirm wards were also added. In 1878, a new casual ward block was built. Further workhouse accommodation was designed by H Saxon Snell and Sons in 1888. The workhouse accommodated 1,600 at this time. Several additions were built between 1897 and 1901. Between 1914 and 1915, the casual ward block housed Belgian refugees, and then from 1918 to 1921, it provided military barracks. After 1930, it was renamed St Marylebone Institution. During the Second World War, some of the blocks were used as a recreation centre for civil defence workers and following the war as a transit centre for displaced persons. In 1949, it was renamed Luxborough Lodge. It closed in 1965, and was demolished and replaced by the London Polytechnic and flats. |
More information : St Marylebone Workhouse was a parish workhouse built along Northumberland Street between 1775 and 1776. It could accommodate 1,000 inmates and cost £18,770 to construct. The architect was Alexander Allen, a local Guardian of the Poor. It replaced a previous parish workhouse at the southern end of Northumberland Street (now Luxborough Street), although there had been an even earlier workhouse in St Marylebone dating to 1730. The new workhouse building was two storeys high and comprised a main block running north-south along Northumberland Street, with separate blocks at each end running east-west. In 1786, a chapel was added at the west, to complete a quadrangle. In 1792, a new infirmary block accommodating 300 patients was built to the north-west. The workhouse buildings were gradually expanded and could accommodate 1449 inmates by 1843. A new boy's school, built in 1827, was among the many additions. In 1846, two 'nightly asylums', similar to casual ward blocks, were built for male and female vagrants. The famine in Ireland was reaching its peak at this time, which led to St Marylebone, with a considerable Irish Community, being stretched to its limits with 2,264 inmates. [1-3]
In 1867, St Marylebone was forced to come under scope of the 1834 Poor Law Amendment Act, to which it had previously avoided. This led to the addition of casual wards designed by H Saxon Snell in 1868. These were adorned with extracts from the bible on the walls. Inmates were given the task of cleaning the ward, picking oakum or breaking stones. A new board-room, offices and female aged and infirm wards were also added. In 1878, a new three-storey casual ward block, providing individual cells was built. Further workhouse accommodation was designed by H Saxon Snell and Sons in 1888 and the workhouse accommodated 1,600 at this time. Several new buildings were built between 1897 and 1901 including a new administrative block with features retained from the old one. Between 1914 and 1915, the casual ward block housed Belgian refugees, and then from 1918 to 1921, it provided military barracks. After 1930, the workhouse was renamed St Marylebone Institution. During the Second World War, some of the blocks were used as a recreation centre for civil defence workers and following the war as a transit centre for displaced persons. In 1949, it was renamed Luxborough Lodge. It closed in 1965, and the inmates were dispersed to accommodation elsewhere. All the buildings were demolished and replaced by the London Polytechnic and flats. [1-3]
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