Genealogy Chat

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The Vallance Road (Charles Street/Baker's Row) Workhouse A new Whitechapel and Spitalfields Union workhouse was built in around 1842 on the site of the former Spitalfields parish workhouse at the corner of Charles Street (later Baker's Row, now Vallance Road) and Thomas Street (later Foulbourne Street, now Lomas Street). Its original layout is shown on the map below, published in 1860 though probably dating from a year or two earlier: A long block ran north-south along Charles Street. A separate large block to its rear had an A-shaped layout. In 1859, a major building scheme was carried out with Thomas Barry as architect. The main new block was 128 feet by 43 feet and included a master's house house, various wards and kitchen offices. The second block, 82 feet by 23 feet, contained laundries and receiving wards. A minor third block measured 50 feet by 31 feet. The updated layout is shown on the 1867 map below. The buildings now had a more conventional H-shaped layout, with females accommodated at the north of the site and males to the south. The block along Charles Street was five storeys high and an entrance hall and committee rooms at the centre, with inmates' accommodated to each side. A short two-storey central wing containing offices linked the front block to a parallel six-storey main block at the rear. This housed a chapel cum dining-hall at its centre, with further accommodation to each side. A separate laundry was placed on the women's side at the north-east of the site. An imbecile ward ran along the eastern boundary of the workhouse. In the 1860s, conditions in London workhouses came under scrutiny after the medical journal The Lancet published a series of reports in 1865 revealed the appalling state of many metropolitan workhouse infirmaries. Although Whitechapel was not the subject of a Lancet visit, it was included in a survey of all London's workhouse infirmaries conducted in 1866 by the Poor Law Board. The report found faults with many aspects of the workhouse: Ventilation was inadequate and there was a problem with the drains in the male imbeciles' basement. There were insufficient nursing staff and the medical officer were overworked and underpaid. There was very little furniture in the sick wards other than the beds. The beds were inadequate in several respects. Only three roller towels a week were provided for a large ward, together with a pound of soap which was also used to wash the furniture. A single comb per ward was provided. The general sick had no games although dominoes were provided for the imbeciles. A separate ward for sick children should be provided. The labour ward should be moved so that screams could not be heard in adjacent wards A result of the outcry over the poor conditions in London workhouses was the passing in 1867 of the Metropolitan Poor Act. Amongst other things, the Act resulted in a requirement that unions place workhouse infirmaries on separate sites to the main workhouse. In 1872, Whitechapel erected a new workhouse at South Grove, after which the Charles Street site took on the role of union infirmary. In the late 1880s, a number of additions and improvements were made. The imbecile wards were rebuilt and a new mortuary was erected at the south-east corner of the site with an entrance from Thomas Street. A new dispensary was erected adjacent to the union's relieving offices. Whitechapel workhouse featured in the 1889 Captain Lobe by Margaret Harkness who wrote under the pseudonym of 'John Law': The Whitechapel Union is a model workhouse ; that is to say, it is the Poor Law incarnate in stone and brick. The men are not allowed to smoke in it, not even when they are in their dotage; the young women never taste tea, and the old ones may not indulge in a cup during the long afternoons, only at half-past six o'clock morning and night, when they receive a small hunch of bread with butter scraped over the surface, and a mug of that beverage which is so dear to their hearts as well as their stomachs. The young people never go out, never see a visitor, and the old ones only get one holiday in the month. Then the aged paupers may be seen skipping like lambkins outside the doors of the Bastile, while they jabber to their friends and relations. A little gruel morning and night, meat twice a week, that is the food of the grown-up people, seasoned with hard work and prison discipline. Doubtless this Bastile offers no premium to idle and improvident habits ; but what shall we say of the woman, or man, maimed by misfortune, who must come there or die in the street? Why should old people be punished for their existence ? After 1930, the site was taken over by the London County Council. The infirmary became a general hospital known as St Peter's Hospital. It was demolished in the 1960s.

Whitechapel Workhouse and Poor Law UnionThe Vallance Road (Charles Street/Baker's Row) Workhouse ... The infirmary became a general hospital known as St Peter's Hospital

There's a Valence Road in E1, its near Brick Lane.

Hi Julie, In my experience it is strange to not find any reference to a relatively recent London road on Google, especially as it housed an infirmary. Are you sure that you have the road name/spelling right? If you are, then maybe looking through old maps (if you know which area to start!) in order to find out where the street was located exactly might help you get information on it.

Think I will have to as this could be reason why grandad never spoke of his past

Hi My Grandad was born in the infirmary of a workhouse - they sometimes just put the address to avoid any stigma of being 'born in the workhouse'. You could try finding out if the local one had this address. Allie

Hi about the building as this was her address on cert

What are you trying to find out, Julie? Are you looking just for info about the building.....or the people? Reg

Hi, on my grandads birth cert it has his mothers name Sarah Chapman and address Infirmary Vallence Road London cant get any info on this is there anyone who could help me please, mothers maiden name Sarah Berwick, or if anyone know any web sites I could look at, grandad born nov 1903 thanks Julie