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Union Workhouse, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire
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Union Workhouse, Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire
The Union workhouse erected in 1849-50 at Chamber Hills, Ashton under Lyne, Lancashire, on what is now Fountain Street. The site is now Tameside Hospital
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Media ID 4465177
© Mary Evans Picture Library 2015 - https://copyrighthub.org/s0/hub1/creation/maryevans/MaryEvansPictureID/10416175
1840s 1849 1850 1850s Ashton Chamber Fountain Health Hills L Aw Lancashire Lyne Oval Poor Poverty Treatment Workhouse Workhouses Tameside
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EDITORS COMMENTS
This evocative photograph captures the imposing presence of the Union Workhouse in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, which was erected between 1849 and 150. Located on what is now Fountain Street, the site was once a symbol of the harsh realities of poverty and destitution during the Victorian and Edwardian eras. The Union Workhouse, also known as the Ashton-under-Lyne Union Workhouse, was a place of last resort for the poor and destitute. Established under the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834, workhouses were intended to provide a deterrent to idleness and encourage able-bodied individuals to seek employment. The inmates were required to work in return for their keep, and the conditions were deliberately harsh to discourage entry. The building's oval design, with its imposing gatehouse and high walls, is a testament to the institutional nature of the workhouse system. The architecture reflects the prevailing attitudes of the time, which saw poverty as a moral failing that could be corrected through hard labor and discipline. By the 1920s, the role of workhouses had changed significantly. The introduction of social welfare programs and the recognition of poverty as a social issue rather than a moral one led to the gradual demise of the workhouse system. The Ashton-under-Lyne Union Workhouse was eventually replaced by Tameside Hospital in the 1930s. Today, this historic building stands as a reminder of a bygone era, when poverty and destitution were seen as personal failings rather than social issues. The photograph invites us to reflect on the history of social welfare and the evolution of attitudes towards poverty and care for the needy.
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