Postcard (2) of Cricklade & Wootton Bassett Union Workhouse at Purton

An early 20th Century view of the front of the Cricklade and Wootton Bassett Union Workhouse at Purton.

The workhouse was built in 1837 by the Overseers of the Poor to serve 14 villages including the Parishes of Lydiard Tregoze and Lydiard Millicent. Purton was chosen as it was centrally located with sufficient land available for construction.

In the 1930s the building was repurposed as North View Hospital providing care for females callously described as 'mental defectives' - women with mental handicaps. Today only the entrance block survives and is now used as a doctor's surgery.

To discover what it was like to live in Purton Workhouse, read the BBC interview with Alec Robbins shown below.