Newington Workhouse was a workhouse

Workhouse

In England and Wales a workhouse, colloquially known as a spike, was a place where those unable to support themselves were offered accommodation and employment...

—a British institution for indoor relief of the poor— at 182 Westmoreland Road (now Beaconsfield Road), Southwark

Southwark

Southwark is a district of south London, England, and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Southwark. Situated east of Charing Cross, it forms one of the oldest parts of London and fronts the River Thames to the north...

, London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

.

History

The workhouse was built in 1850 in the hamlet of Walworth

Walworth, London

Walworth is an inner-city district in the London Borough of Southwark. Walworth probably derives its name from the Old English "Wealhworth" which meant Welsh farm. It is located south east of Charing Cross and near to Camberwell and Elephant and Castle.The major streets in Walworth are the Old...

 to replace an older workhouse belonging to the parish

Parish

A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

 of St Mary Newington

Newington, London

Newington is a district of London, England, and part of the London Borough of Southwark. It was an ancient parish and the site of the early administration of the county of Surrey...

. The site was taken over in 1868 by the St Saviour Poor Law Union and became an infirmary.

The Local Government Act 1929

Local Government Act 1929

The Local Government Act 1929 was an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom that made changes to the Poor Law and local government in England and Wales....

 abolished the workhouse system, and in 1930 Newington Workhouse became the Newington Lodge Public Assistance Institution, until the Poor Laws were repealed in 1948. It then continued to be used as social housing by London County Council

London County Council

London County Council was the principal local government body for the County of London, throughout its 1889–1965 existence, and the first London-wide general municipal authority to be directly elected. It covered the area today known as Inner London and was replaced by the Greater London Council...

 Welfare Department. In 1961 it held "266 women and children from 72 fragmented families". The building was demolished in 1969 and replaced by a housing estate.

The records of the institution are now held in the London Metropolitan Archives.

Cultural significance

The comic actor Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin

Sir Charles Spencer "Charlie" Chaplin, KBE was an English comic actor, film director and composer best known for his work during the silent film era. He became the most famous film star in the world before the end of World War I...

 spent a short time in Newington Workhouse in 1896.

The 1966 television play Cathy Come Home

Cathy Come Home

Cathy Come Home is a 1966 BBC television play by Jeremy Sandford, produced by Tony Garnett and directed by Ken Loach, about homelessness. An industry poll rated it as the best British television drama ever made. Filmed in a gritty, realistic drama documentary style, it was first broadcast on 16...

depicted the living conditions in Newington Lodge.