Genealogy Chat

does anybody know if this was a workhouse please thanks

If it's called a workhouse, I guess its a workhouse?!

thanks I am not that thick what I meant was could this address have been a Workhouse because it looks like a row of ordinary Houses I am not sure what a Workhouse would look like

How do you mean "looks like a row of houses"? Are there separate numbers? I've always thought of a workhouse as a kind of communal building, but it should say its a workhouse at the beginning and have a list of inhabitants all together if it is a workhouse - I assume you are referring to a census form? There is no Lydia Street on the GenDocs list of Victorian Streets, and I can't see a modern day Lydia Street and when I googled for Lydia Street + Mile End workhouse nothing came up. I found this site though when I just googled Mile End workhouse - but it doesn't mention Lydia Street. www.institutions.org.uk/workhouses/england/lon/mile_end_old_town_workhouse.htm nell

thats what I thought too but my cousin said her dad my uncle was born in a workhouse and it says 33 Lydia Street Mile End on his birth certificate the same address as my fathers and she has a old east london book which mentions Lydia Street funny enough but says it was pulled down but the photo of it looks like a row of terraced houses thanks

Valerie This is getting mysterious. What is the registration district on the cert and what exactly does it say for the place of birth? You've got me intrigued now! nell

I found this in a learned article by googling Lydia Street: In this strike, too, a successful tactic used by the women was to shame the landlord by picketing, with their children, in front of his north London home.[60] (Children were included in many of these STDL activities; indeed,when the tenants of **Lydia Street** and Duckett Street buildings won a three-week strike, the women involved organized a children’s block party in There are lots of references to people being born at various numbers in Lydia Street, so perhaps it was just a row of terraced houses. nell

From a2a Workhouse and infirmary registers MILE END WORKHOUSE: ADMISSION AND DISCHARGE BOOKS [from Scope and Content] In 1925 Mile End Institution (as it had become by then) passed to the control of the newly formed Stepney Board of Guardians. In 1926 it ceased to be used as an institution. Its buildings became part of Mile End Hospital. MILE END INFIRMARY: ADMISSION AND DISCHARGE BOOKS [from Scope and Content] A separate infirmary was built in 1881-1883 on a site in Bancroft Road adjoining the Workhouse. Between 1915 and 1919 it was taken over by the War Office for use as a military hospital. The infirmary was named Mile End Hospital in 1920. nell

it says 33 Lydia Street Registration district Mile End Old Town I am trying to get a copy of the Book my cousin has, anyway really must go to bed now not that I want too this is so interesting .thanks for the info will have another google tomorrow I did not find that info when I did it goodnight happy researching

As Mile End Workhouse morphed into the Hospital, and it is not in Lydia Street, I think it unlikely that there would be two workhouses in such close proximity. You may find this of interest: www.ideastore*.co*.uk/index/PID/70 its a website for Tower Hamlets [covers Mile end] local history library. nell

Have you looked at these two sites - http://users.ox.ac.uk/%7Epeter/workhouse/index.html http://www(.)gendocs(.)demon(.)co(.)uk/lonstr_l(.)html The second site lists Victorian London Streets in alphabetical order these are shown - Lydia Cottages, Battersea, WANDSWORTH [1881] Lydia Villas, Camberwell, CAMBERWELL [1881] Lydia's Cottages GREENWICH [1899] Don't know if this is of help and as always remove the brackets. John

Have a look here Valerie, it's got info and pics of Mile End Workhouse. Not sure if it's the same place but you might find something useful there. http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html Christine

Valerie, My father lived at 31 Lydia Street and got married from there in January 1939.I found a pic. of the houses (In a library book)just after the houses were blitzed in 1939/40.I showed the picture to my father befor he died and he recognised the houses but couldn't say which was his as they all looked the same. Best Wishes Gwen

Another thought - perhaps this was a terrace of houses built for poorer people and funded by the parish? I suspect the Tower Hamlets local history library might be able to help. nell

thanks for all your suggestions I will be looking at them all today