Pauper Collection

Middlesex Hospital, Mortimer Street, London
Entrance to the Middlesex Hospital, Mortimer Street, London. A group of onlookers, mostly children, stand at the gates. A hansom cab stands alongside. Date: 1908

Cosette carrying a bucket, character of Les miserables'by Victor Hugo (1802-1885) (sculpture)
JLJ4668421 Cosette carrying a bucket, character of Les miserables by Victor Hugo (1802-1885) (sculpture) by Pompon, Francois (1855-1933); Maison de Victor Hugo, Paris

The Hollies Childrens Home, Sidcup, Kent
Aerial view of The Hollies, the Greenwich & Deptford Unions cottage homes at Lamorbey, near Sidcup, Kent, opened in 1902 to house pauper children away from the workhouse

Cosette, illustration from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
XEE4149981 Cosette, illustration from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, 1862 after Emile Antoine Bayard - Representation of Cosette

Guinness Lodging Houses, Lever Street, London. The building was erected in 1890 by the Guinness Trust to provide cheap housing for working men. Date: Date unknown

Park Hospital, Davyhulme, Manchester
Aerial view of the Park Hospital at Davyhulme, Manchester, originally opened in 1929 as the workhouse hospital for the Barton Upon Irwell Poor Law Union

View of Wandsworth Prison
Exterior view of Surrey Prison and House of Correction, Wandsworth Date: 1862

Walton Hospital, Liverpool
Walton Hospital, Rice Lane, Walton on the Hill, Liverpool. The central clock tower concealed a large water storage tank

Union Workhouse, Wokingham, Berkshire
The Wokingham Union workhouse, Berkshire. The workhouse, opened in 1850 on Barkham Road, Wokingham, later became Wokingham Hospital

Union Workhouse, Wantage, Oxfordshire
The Wantage Union workhouse, Oxfordshire. The workhouse, designed by Sampson Kempthorne, was erected in 1836 on Hungerford Road, Wantage, and later became the Downs Hospital

Poplar Workhouse, East London
A side view of one of the blocks of the Poplar Union workhouse, located on Poplar High Street, East London

Christmas Day in the Workhouse
Illustration and opening verses of In the Workhouse: Christmas Day - better known as Christmas Day in the Workhouse, written by George R Sims in 1877

Chase Farm Hospital, Enfield, Middlesex
Aerial view of Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield, Middlesex. The building was originally the Chase Farm Schools, opened in 1886 by the Edmonton Union to house pauper children away from the workhouse

Market Hill and former workhouse, Maldon
A view of Market Hill, Maldon, Essex. The large building at the left is the Maldon Unions former workhouse. Date: circa 1900

Childrens Playroom, St Pelagias Home, Highgate
The childrens playroom at St Pelagias Home for penitent girls at 34 Highgate West Hill, London N6. The home provided accommodation for unmarried mothers and their children. Date: circa 1932

Ground plan of Wandsworth Prison
Ground plan of Surrey Prison and House of Correction, Wandsworth Date: 1862

The Brigantine " Steadfast" - a companion vessel to the Metropolitan Asylums Board Training Ship " Exmouth"

East End Doss House, London
Exterior of a lodging house or doss house in the East End of London, probably Whitechapel. A man and a boy stand outside. A sign above the door reads BEDS 4d. Per Night FOR SINGLE MEN ONLY

Percy House Military Hospital, Isleworth, Middlesex
A view of Percy House School which served as a Military Hospital during the First World War

Warren Farm School, Brighton, Sussex
The Centre Avenue of Warren Farm School, opened by the Brighton Union in 1862 at Rottingdean, Sussex. The school housed pauper children away from the workhouse

Union Workhouse, Dursley, Gloucestershire
A distant view of the Dursley Union workhouse (left) from the road at Stinchcombe, Gloucestershire. The workhouse, designed by a Mr Fulljames, was erected in 1838-9

Training Ship Exmouth, full crew
Full group photo of the crew of the Training Ship Exmouth

Training Ship Exmouth, dumb bell drill
Uniformed boys on the deck of the Training Ship Exmouth perform dumb bell drill

City of London Asylum, Stone, Dartford, Kent
The City of London Asylum for pauper lunatics was established in 1862 on Cotton Lane at Stone near Dartford, Kent

City of London Union Infirmary, Mile End Road
Situated where Mile End Road continues as Bow Road, the City of London Union Infirmary (now St Clement's Hospital) opened in 1849 as the City of London Union workhouse

Duke of York at Countesthorpe Cottage Homes, Leicester
The Duke of York pays a visit to the Countesthorpe Cottage Homes, Leicester - 24th November 1921. The homes provided accommodation for pauper children away from the workhouse. Date: 1921

Fazakerley Cottage Homes Treat
A treat - probably in the form of a country picnic - for boys from the Fazakerley Cottage Homes in Liverpool, accompanied by staff and other helpers

St Annes Home, Herne Bay, Kent
In 1876, the former Pier Hotel in Herne Bay (centre of picture) became a convalescent home for pauper children from the South Metropolitan School District

North Surrey District School, Anerley, Upper Norwood, Surrey
The North Surrey District School at Anerley, Upper Norwood, with the Crystal Palace visible behind. The school was opened in 1850 to house pauper children away from the workhouse

Bristol Childrens Cottage Homes, Downend
A view of the childrens cottage homes at Downend, Bristol. A young inmate stands in front of one of the houses

Whip and Whipping Post at Wandsworth Prison
Whip and Whipping Post at Surrey Prison and House of Correction, Wandsworth Date: 1862

Ground plan of Millbank Prison, London. Date: 1862

Ground plan of Newgate Prison, London. Date: 1862

Jeremy Benthams Panopticon
Jeremy Benthams proposed panopticon workhouse or industry house for up to 2000 inmates

Ground plan of Holloway Prison
Ground plan of London City Prison and House of Correction, Holloway. Date: 1862

Childrens nursery, Chorlton Union Cottage Homes, Styal
View inside a childrens nursery at the cottage homes in Styal, Cheshire, with a large group of girls and boys posing for their photograph

Leicester Union Cottage Homes, Countesthorpe, Leics
Three small inmates stand in front of a water tower at the Leicester Union cottage homes at Countesthorpe, Leicestershire

Manchester Union Schools, Swinton
The Manchester Union Industrial School at Swinton. The school, where 800 pauper children were housed and educated away from the workhouse, was established in 1843, one of the earliest of its type

Blandford Union Workhouse, Blandford Forum, Dorset
Distant view of Blandford Union workhouse, from Salisbury Road, Blandford Forum, Dorset. A house at the left has a sign reading YNCA (or YMCA?)

Belmont Hospital, Sutton, Surrey
Belmont Hospital, Brighton Road, Sutton. It began life in 1853 as the South Metropolitan District School, housing pauper children away from the workhouse

Shoreditch Cottage Homes, Hornchurch, Essex
Boys in surplices leaving the chapel at the Shoreditch Union cottage homes, Hornchurch, Essex

Cosette, illustration from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
XEE4149978 Cosette, illustration from Les Miserables by Victor Hugo, 1862 after Emile Antoine Bayard - Representation of Cosette

Bleak House
Vintage engraving from the works of Charles Dickens. From Bleak House. I m Fly, says Jo. But Fen larksm you know. Stow hooking it!

Croydon Union Cottage Homes, Mayday Road, Croydon
The childrens cottage homes erected on Mayday Road in 1897 by the Croydon Poor Law Union to house pauper children away from the workhouse. Date: 1902

Hackney Homes Band and Soldiers at Budworth Hall, Ongar, Ess
Soldiers at Budworth Hall military hospital on Chipping Ongar High Street are joined by the boys band from the nearby Hackney Union cottage homes

Holborn Union Infirmary, Highgate, London
The Holborn Union Infirmary, Archway Road, Highate, North London. A tram passes by. The infirmary, which was opened in 1879, was designed by Henry Saxon Snell

Greenwich Union Cottage Homes, Sidcup, Kent
Aerial view of The Hollies, the Greenwich & Deptford Union cottage homes at Lamorbey, near Sidcup, Kent, opened in 1902 to house pauper children away from the workhouse

Queen Marys visit to Poplar Schools at Brentwood
In 1906, the Poplar Union (East London) established a Schools site located between Shenfield and Hutton, near Brentwood, Essex

Middlesex Pauper Lunatic Asylum, 1849
The Italianate exterior of the New Middlesex Pauper Lunatic Asylum at Colney Hatch, near Friern Barnet, Middlesex (North London). The foundation stone was laid in 1849 by Prince Albert

Islington Poor Law Infirmary, Highgate Hill, London
The parish of Islingtons new 800-bed poor law infirmary on Highgate Hill was opened in 1900 on the site of the Highgate Smallpox and Vaccination Hospital

Keynsham Union Workhouse, Somerset
The main block of the Keynsham Union Workhouse, Somerset. The site later became Keynsham Hospital. Date: 2000

Unemployed miners, Cilfynydd, Pontypridd
Unemployed miners at Cilfynydd near Pontypridd in South Wales. They watch the buckets tipping slag in case any lumps of coal can be found. Date: circa 1936

Bromley Workhouse, Kent

Cell wing at Pentonville Prison. Date: 1862

Aylesbury Prison Laundry
Interior of laundry at Aylesbury prison. Uniformed women handle the washing on trolleys and in baskets which bear the convict arrow insignia. Date: circa 1900

Rowton House, Camden
The Rowton House on Arlington Road, Camden. Rowton Houses provided cheap hostel-style accommodation for working men. Date: 1926

Chorlton Union Cottage Homes, Styal, Cheshire
Main avenue at Chorlton Union Cottage Homes, Styal, Cheshire. The homes were opened by the Chorlton Union in 1898 to house pauper children away from the workhouse

Laundry at Shirley Schools, near Croydon, Surrey
Inmates ironing clothes and linen in the laundry at the Shirley Schools, near Croydon, Surrey, established in 1904 by the St Olave Union to house pauper children away from the workhouse

Entrance to Ashford Residential School, Surrey
Located on Woodthorpe Road, at Ashford, near Staines, Surrey, and opened in 1872 as the West London District School

Sports Day at Countesthorpe Homes, Leicestershire
A group of boys, including some uniformed band members, at the Countesthorpe cottage homes in Leicestershire on their sports day in 1919

Boys Band at Hollybrook Cottage Homes, Southampton
The boys band at Hollybrook cottage homes at Shirley Warren, Southampton. The homes were opened in 1911 by the Southampton Union to accommodate pauper children away from the workhouse

Wallingford Union Childrens Cottage Homes, Berkshire
The Wallingford Unions cottage homes on Wantage Road, Wallingford, Berkshire. Cottage homes were established by some poor law authorities to house pauper children away from the workhouse

Poplar Union Schools, Brentwood, Essex
In 1906, the Poplar Union (East London) established a Schools site located between Shenfield and Hutton, near Brentwood, Essex

Union Workhouse, Hertford
A view of Hertford Union workhouse, Hertfordshire, opened in around 1869 on Ware Road, Hertford. The imposing three-storey building has a clock tower at its centre

Union Workhouse, Easthampstead, Berkshire
A distant view of the Easthampstead Union workhouse, Berkshire, opened in about 1836, in buildings adapted from former almshouses

Blything Union Childrens Home, Yoxford, Suffolk
Children and staff stand in front of the Blything Union childrens home at Yoxford, Suffolk. The home, opened in the early 1900s, accommodated pauper children away from the workhouse

Moral and Industrial Training Schools, Leeds
A very early photograph of the Moral and Industrial Training Schools, Beckett Street, Leeds, West Yorkshire

Birmingham Union Cottage Homes, Marston Green, Warwickshire
A girl stands in front of one of the childrens cottage homes at Marston Green in Warwickshire, to the east of Birmingham

Kensington & Chelsea District School, Banstead, Surrey
Aerial view of Beechholme childrens home, Banstead, Surrey, originally established in 1876 as the Kensington and Chelsea District School to house pauper children away from the workhouse

Allegory of the poverty (Fresco, 1334)
LRI4575290 Allegory of the poverty (Fresco, 1334) by Giotto (Giotto di Bondone) (c.1266-1337); San Francesco, Lower Church, Assisi

Camberwell Union Scattered Homes
One of the Camberwell Unions scattered homes where small groups of pauper children lived away from the workhouse. Date: 1903

Poplar Union Schools, Essex
Entrance gates of the Poplar Schools which were established in 1906 between Shenfield and Hutton, near Brentwood, Essex, to house pauper children away from the workhouse

Dorchester Union Workhouse, Dorset
The chapel (left of centre) and main building (right) of the former Dorchester Union Workhouse, Dorset. The workhouse, designed by George Wilkinson, later became Damers Hospital. Date: 2000

St Andrews Hospital, Thorpe, Norfolk

Sleeping cell at Brixton Prison

Middlesex House of Detention, Clerkenwell
Ground plan of the Middlesex House of Detention at Clerkenwell. Date: 1862

Ground plan of Coldbath Fields Prison, Clerkenwell. Date: 1862

West Derby Union cottage homes, Fazakerley, Liverpool
Distant view of the West Derby Union cottage homes at Fazakerley, Liverpool. The homes were opened in 1889 to house pauper children away from the workhouse

Kensington & Chelsea District School, Boys Band
In 1876, the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea established a District School for pauper children at Banstead, Surrey (later known as Beechholme)

Statement of Poor Relief in St Lukes Parish, 1854
A printed summary statement of the poor relief statistics for the London parish of St Luke for the week ending 5 August 1854

French Revolution: Cartoon on the three orders: "
JLJ4664858 French Revolution: Cartoon on the three orders: " time passes the most useful were crowds at the foot

Mental Hospital, Powick, Worcestershire
An aerial view of the what opened in 1852 as the Worcester County Pauper and Lunatic Asylum. it was designed by J. R. Hamilton and J. M. Medland of Gloucester

French Revolution: cartoon depicting a peasant (third state) wearing a nun (clergyman
JLJ4647293 French Revolution: cartoon depicting a peasant (third state) wearing a nun (clergyman) and a noble on her back. Engraving from 1789. Paris, Bibliotheque de l Arsenal

Poverty in Paris: slums, the passage of Gergovie. 1884. Bibl. des Arts decos
LSE4403238 Poverty in Paris: slums, the passage of Gergovie. 1884. Bibl. des Arts decos

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"Pauper: A Glimpse into the Lives of the Forgotten" Step back in time and discover the world of paupers, as depicted by Victor Hugo's iconic character Cosette in Les Miserables. From the Hollies Childrens Home in Sidcup, Kent to Guinness Lodging Houses in Lever Street, London, these places were once a refuge for those who had nowhere else to turn. Imagine spending Christmas Day in the workhouse, where hope was scarce but resilience prevailed. Chase Farm Hospital in Enfield, Middlesex offered solace and care to those without means. Market Hill and former workhouse in Maldon stands as a testament to an era when poverty was rampant. Park Hospital in Davyhulme, Manchester provided shelter for countless souls seeking comfort amidst destitution. In St Pelagias Home Highgate's children's playroom laughter echoed through walls that witnessed both hardship and innocence. The Union Workhouses of Wokingham, Berkshire and Wantage Oxfordshire were beacons of support for individuals struggling against adversity. Poplar Workhouse situated on East London's streets became synonymous with tales of survival amid harsh conditions. Warren Farm School nestled within Brighton Sussex aimed to provide education despite limited resources - nurturing young minds even amidst scarcity. These glimpses into history remind us that paupers were not merely statistics; they were real people with stories untold. Their struggles shaped society’s understanding of compassion and empathy towards our fellow human beings. Let us remember their plight so that we may continue striving towards a world where no one is left behind – a world where every person finds dignity regardless of their circumstances.