On the 27th of May, Headmaster Donal Brennan and his pupils met in Dovehouse Square to honour the memory of the people who were inmates at The Chelsea Workhouse.

In Victorian times, families who faced hardships entered these charitable institutions. “Life inside the workhouse was intended to be as off-putting as possible. Men, women, children, the infirm, and the able-bodied were housed separately and given very basic and monotonous food. All inmates had to wear the rough workhouse uniform and sleep in communal dormitories. Supervised baths were given once a week. The able-bodied were given hard work such as stone-breaking. The elderly and infirm sat around in the day-rooms or sick-wards with little opportunity for visitors. Parents were only allowed limited contact with their children.”[i]

This commemoration helped our children understand how we must never forget those who have suffered. Lessons learnt from history should guide us in how we live today. Our pupils know that “we care for each other” at The Hampshire School, Chelsea.

 

[i] http://www.workhouses.org.uk/intro/