Union Workhouse, Docking, Norfolk
Wall Art and Photo Gifts from Mary Evans Picture Library
Union Workhouse, Docking, Norfolk
Entrance to the Docking Union workhouse, Norfolk. The building, designed by John Brown, was opened in 1836 at a site on Heacham Road to the west of Docking
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Media ID 4418062
© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10418599
1830s 1836 Docking Gates Gateway L Aw Norfolk Poor Poverty Symmetrical Workhouse Workhouses
EDITORS COMMENTS
This evocative photograph captures the entrance to Docking Union Workhouse, a historic building located on Heacham Road in the picturesque town of Docking, Norfolk. Designed by architect John Brown and opened in 1836, this imposing edifice was built to provide shelter and relief for the destitute and the poor. The symmetrical gateway, with its grand arches and intricately carved stonework, serves as a somber reminder of the harsh realities of poverty and hardship during the Victorian and Edwardian eras. The Union Workhouse system, established under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, aimed to provide a deterrent to idleness and encourage able-bodied individuals to seek employment. Inmates were required to perform various tasks within the workhouse in exchange for their keep. The building's design, with its imposing gates and walls, was intended to instill a sense of discipline and order. The photograph, taken in 1906, shows the entrance as it would have appeared in its final years before the introduction of more humane and less punitive welfare policies. The Union Workhouse at Docking was closed in 1930, and the building was later converted into a school. Today, it stands as an important historical landmark, offering a glimpse into the past and a reminder of the social and economic conditions that once shaped the lives of so many. This photograph, from the Mary Evans Prints Online collection, offers a unique and poignant perspective on a significant chapter in the history of Norfolk and the wider social history of England during the 1830s and beyond.
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