Salt Museum Northwich

Following the recent work house series on the telly called down to the Northwich Salt Museum which was originally the towns work house.

The original Northwich Union workhouse was built in 1837-9 on London Road in Northwich. The site was some distance from the centre of the town so that the sight of the inmates would not 'discommode or prove offensive to the citizens'. The building was designed by George Latham and broadly followed the Poor Law Commissioners' model "200-pauper" plan. In 1838, the Commissioners authorized an expenditure of £4,530 on its construction.
The building had a two-storey entrance block which contained the porter's room, board room, and receiving wards.
The main accommodation block at the rear was of three storeys, with female wards at the north and male wards at south. The school, kitchen, and dining-hall were placed in the central axial wing.

From 1904, to protect them from disadvantage in later life, the birth certificates for those born in the workhouse gave its address just as 160 London Road, Northwich.
The workhouse later became Northwich Poor Law Institution and was subsequently used as an old people's home until 1964.

Only the front part of the workhouse buildings now remain and are now the home of the Northwich Salt Museum - todays blip is of the North entrance of the original work house building