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Atmospheric Victorian workhouse
Upton Road, Southwell, Nottinghamshire, NG25 0PT
Asset | Opening time |
---|---|
Workhouse | 10:30 - 16:00 |
Café | 10:30 - 15:00 |
Firbeck Infirmary | 10:30 - 16:00 |
Last entry to the site is 15.00. May close early due to low light levels or high winds/extreme weather.
Ticket type | Gift aid | Standard |
---|---|---|
Adult | £16.50 | £15.00 |
Child | £8.30 | £7.50 |
Family | £41.30 | £37.50 |
1 adult, up to 3 children | £24.80 | £22.50 |
Group Adult | £14.25 | |
Group Child | £7.13 |
Second-hand bookshop.
Dogs are allowed in the car park and front field but are not permitted in the house or garden. Assistance dogs only in the house and garden.
Café located in Firbeck Infirmary. Indoor and outdoor seating available. The café is open for hot and cold drinks, soup, pasties, snacks, cakes and ice cream. Other than in the cafe, food and drink is not permitted inside the buildings.
Guided tour available on a first-come first-served basis at 11am each day of opening. Guided tour not guaranteed.
Free parking, 200 yards from Workhouse in visitor car park
Toilets are available at visitor reception and in Firbeck Infirmary. There are not toilets available in The Workhouse main building.
Blue Badge parking. Accessible toilets. Ramped entrances. Upper floors are stairs only. Partly accessible outdoors route.
There are a few areas with narrow access in the workhouse main building.
13 miles from Nottingham on A612 and 8 miles from Newark via A617 and A612.
Parking: Free
Sat Nav: Please note, some services such as Google Maps will not send you to our front entrance. To help, please look for The Workhouse on 'Upton Road, NG25 0PT'.
Robin Hood Way
Newark Castle 7 miles; Newark North Gate 7½ miles; Nottingham 13 miles
regular services from Newark, Nottingham and Mansfield bus stations
The Workhouse and Infirmary is a one pawprint rated place. Discover all you need to know about visiting The Workhouse and Infirmary with your dog.
Bring your education or school group to the Workhouse and Infirmary in Nottinghamshire. Step back in time to the 1840s and find out what life was like inside this gruelling institution. All visits are self led, giving you the opportunity to design your day around your group's learning needs.
Workhouse built in 1824, a last-resort refuge for the poor and destitute, now one of the best-preserved examples in the country.
Infirmary which supported ill Workhouse inmates, eventually adapting its role and response to care until decommission in the 1980s.
Various vegetable plots, orchards and rich pasture that once supplied food for Workhouse inmates, now nurtured by volunteers for purchasable produce.
Comfortable and reflective café offering hot and cold drinks, soups, sandwiches, snacks and cakes with seating indoors and outdoors.
Explore the different play opportunities across our outdoor spaces. There will be traditional and more modern games to enjoy. Have a go at a quoits challenge, enjoy a game of badminton or test your nerve with our stacking tower game and many more...family fun for all. Summer of Play is sponsored by Starling Bank and supported by Sport England.
Find out more about visiting The Workhouse and Infirmary, where guided tours, exhibitions and activities help bring to life the stories of the people who had to work to receive food, shelter and medical care here.
From plot to pauper plate, explore the recreated Victorian vegetable garden and admire the range of heritage varieties grown.
Entertain the whole family at The Workhouse and Infirmary this spring. Discover unique stories in the atmospheric buildings and 'Workhouse: Live' on selected dates, go on an adventure in the grounds and stop for a bite to eat in Firbeck Cafe. You'll also find plenty of hands-on activities for everyone to discover, from active trails to digital devices.
Located on the ground floor of Firbeck Infirmary, the café serves a range of hot and cold drinks, seasonal meals and sweet treats. Whether you’re popping by for a takeaway coffee, staying for lunch or collecting supplies for a picnic, you’ll find something that hits the spot.
Watch out for thieves or hit the road quick? Become a secret sign sleuth with Written on the Workhouse Walls, a fun family trail to celebrate the bicentenary of the Workhouse.
Step back in time at The Workhouse and Infirmary. Meet our costumed characters and learn about what life was like for the inmates who lived here.
Are you ready for some summer fun? Come and discover a range of ways to play as part of your visit...
Step back in time and join Reverend John T. Becher, founder of The Workhouse, on a tour of Southwell.
How does our garden grow? Come and chat to our garden volunteers, explore our produce and take home some of the delicious fresh harvest for a donation...
Step back in time at The Workhouse and Infirmary. Meet our costumed characters and learn about what life was like for the inmates who lived here.
Come and enjoy a social walk around Southwell and discover more of the local area surrounding The Workhouse.
Watch out for thieves or hit the road quick? Become a secret sign sleuth with Written on the Workhouse Walls, a fun family trail to celebrate the bicentenary of the Workhouse.
Walking up the paupers' path towards The Workhouse it is easy to imagine how the Victorian poor might have felt as they sought refuge here. This austere building, the most complete workhouse in existence, was built in 1824 as a place of last resort for the destitute. Its architecture was influenced by prison design and its harsh regime became a blueprint for workhouses throughout the country.
This rural workhouse was designed to house around 160 inmates. They lived and worked in a strictly segregated environment with virtually no contact between the old and infirm, able-bodied men and women and children
The stories of those who lived and worked here in the 1840s help bring the building to life and prompt reflection on how society has tackled poverty through the centuries.
'An empty workhouse is a successful one' - Rev. J T Becher (founder of Southwell Workhouse)
In collaboration with family history website Findmypast, we've been exploring the 1921 Census of England and Wales. It's helped us get closer to the lives of people at The Workhouse and Infirmary, where we've revealed dozens more stories of inmates and patients from the last decade of The Workhouse era. Discover more about these stories at The Workhouse and Infirmary, as well as research from nine other places in our care. By clicking this link, you’ll access a third-party website. Please see their privacy policy for how they handle your personal data.
Learn about the concept and the history of The Workhouse and Firbeck Infirmary and the role that they played.
Take a sneak peek into the treasure trove that is the collection of The Workhouse and Infirmary and learn what these objects tell us about the history of this special place.
Discover how we care for The Workhouse, Southwell and the items in its collection, including original Victorian wallpaper from the Firbeck Infirmary.
Learn how a project to restore Firbeck Infirmary unfolded, the stories being told and how it’s helping to shape conversation about care, 150 years after it first opened.
Search for live volunteering opportunities, or register your interest with The Workhouse.
Join today and help protect nature, beauty and history – for everyone, for ever. Enjoy access to more than 500 places with National Trust membership.