Forden House of Industry

[Annie65115]

Does anyone know where the Forden workhouse stood? Are any of the buildings still standing?

I am going to midwales this weekend and if there is any trace of the building, I'd like to see it, so any directions gratefully received!

diolch yn fawr

[skewbald]

Well if you have not set off yet, it is still there, to the West of the village over the railway line. if you missed it, you can see views of it on Google Earth, also the plan on old-maps.co.uk .
the county council have a good site giving lots of details of the conditions at Forden workhouse, which seem better than most.

http://history.powys.org.uk/school1/montgomery/poormenu.shtml

Skewy

[lisalisa]

It was still there when I went looking for it in Sept 2007.    It's not far from Montgomery (though off the top of my head I can't remember directions to tell you from there).  It's huge, it became a hospital afterwards.   It's not hard to find.

I'd recommend going to the museum in Montgomery too, very interesting.   I was in Montgomery this week and had a lovely lunch at the deli/cafe there.

Have fun,

Lisa

[Annie65115]

I found it, thanks. It's now an ashram/meditation centre/conference centre. I found it one of the more depressing places I've ever been to

[lisalisa]

It was very eerie and foreboding when I saw it, but it wasn't a conference centre back then, it was in limbo, it looked like there were some apartments, but you could see the main part was still disused hospital.

Lisa 

[skewbald]

I found it one of the more depressing places I've ever been to

Was that because of what it was, or what it is now?

Skewy

[Annie65115]

Well, it's in current day use but it doesn't look as though there's been any recent maintenance on the fabric of the building so it looks scruffy and unloved.

It utterly silent when I was there - no sound except that of a buzzard mewling overhead - quite eery.

I was trying to envisage the place as a hive of forced activity all those years ago. It wasn't one of the larger workhouses but was apparently buzzing with industry in its heyday. It also had a cruel regime in the first 1/2 of the 19th century; a flogging stake was erected in the dining room for miscreants to be flogged in public before sunday meal, and a scold's bridle was bought.

My poor ancestor died there in the 1840s, of "asthma". If he couldn't breathe, how could he labour?

Peaceful meditative chanting in such a place just wouldn't do it for me, I'm afraid.

[RuthieB]

My ggg grandfather, John Morris, was born there in 1821; by the 1841 census, the family had moved to Pool Road in Newtown and the family was involved in the woollen weaving industry.

Although my gggg grandfather, Humphrey Morris, was in the 'House of Industry' in 1821, he survived another 30 years, dying in Newtown in 1851, aged 82.

There is life after the Workhouse after all!

[bombardier]

Hi  My gtgt grandfather died in the 'House of Industry' in 1824.His three children were all born in there.from 1819 to 1824.( No evidence of other children in the St Michael's Church.) two boys and a girl. the girl died aged 17 months of cholera and gtgtg grandfaher died in jun 1824, four months after the birth of his younger son. Eventually the sons came to Lancashire coal fields. I've been to see the House twice.It is a depressing place. I coulnt bring myself to go all the  way  to the building. Standing by the gate was bad enough and I've seena record of mygtgt grandothe being flogged for stealing 2oz of bread.