Building record 638/0/56 - Danetre Hospital Administration Offices (former workhouse building)

Daventry Union Workhouse was built in 1836-7 to designs by John Plowman with a double courtyard plan. In 1869 E F Law & Son designed a male infirmary; women continued to be treated in the southern range of the main building. There were detached fever wards by 1869, and a detached block for mentally disabled inmates (then categorised as 'imbeciles') and chapel by 1880. In the 1930's the workhouse was remodelled and the infirmary extended, by the architect G H Lewin, to convert the site into a 100-bed hospital.

{1} Workhouse, converted into hospital, now hospital administration offices. 1838 Poor Law Institution, Flemish bond red brick. Hipped slate roof with moulded eaves. Slate hipped roofs. Brick axial stacks. H-shaped on plan with central entrance on the outer side of the east wing of the H. Georgian style. 2 storeys. 10:3:3:3:7 window range, centre 9 bays advanced of which the 3 at centre with pediment break forward again. All 12-pane sashes with horns and stone sills, the ground floor with flat brick arches, the first floor window heads under eaves entablature. Central doorway with small canopy on brackets, rectangular overlight and flush panel door. The central lateral and back ranges also have sash windows; on the west (rear) elevation of the back range the 2 end bays break forward with pedimental gables. Minor C20 brick additions on back of ranges. Interior: not inspected. Note: Built in 1838 as a Poor Law Institution accommodating 230 inmates, it became a hospital, whose C20 main buildings are detached to the west. The Workhouse building is now used as hospital administration offices. Source: Buildings of England p.173; Kellys Director# Northamptonshire 1898, p.62.

{5} Workhouse was nicknamed 'The Spike'. Daventry union was 95 square miles and 28 parishes. 'the uniton workhouse - erected in 1836-7 is situated on a most pleasant and healthy eminence looking towards borough Hill about a half a mile south of the town. It is a red brick building covered with blue stales and surrounded by extensive gardens intersected by gravel walks, and fronted with a broad terrace ornamented with shrubs and evergreens, which gives it a very pleasing appearance. It is enlivened in fine weather by the residents of the town, who have chosen it for their favourite promenade' The workhouse is still in existence and is now in use as Danetre Hospital. The building is of two storey construction and of red brick. Film 5 photo 4-9.The red brick workhouse chapel is also still in existence Film 5 photo 10-11.

{6} The workhouse built 1836-7 and designed by John Plowman was a reduced version of the standard cruciform workhouse plan, comprising a double courtyard. It consisted small male and female fever blocks (demolished) and by 1869 a male infirmary was built to the rear. By 1881 the chapel and 'imbecile' wards for mentally disabled inmates (now demolished) had been erected. The site was partly reconstructed and extended in the 1930's to designs by G H Lewin.
The 26-bay front range of the workhouse and lengthy extensions to the north and south are two storeys high, faced in red brick and has a low slate hipped roof. The central nine bays consisted the entrance hall, boardroom, porter's hall, school mistresses sitting room and boys bedroom. On the ground floor was the master's office and women's receiving room and above was the schoolroom. Other function rooms and buildings included dayrooms, bedrooms, kitchens and dining rooms (east range), mental illness and vagrant block (demolished), chapel and mortuary, possible laundry (north of the infirmary), Haddon House the male infirmary and wards with sanitary annexes. The majority of the buildings were built of brick with slate roofs.

<1> Clews Architects, 1980s, Database for Listing of Historic Buildings of Special Architectural Interest: Northamptonshire, 1/91 (Digital archive). SNN102353.

<2> List of Buildings of Special Architectural or Historic Interest ("Greenback"), D06B (unchecked) (Catalogue). SNN44900.

<3> Higginbotham P., 2002, The Workhouse: Banbury & Northamptonshire Extract, (unchecked) (Extract). SNN102266.

<4> Richardson H. (Editor), 1998, English Hospitals 1660-1948: A Survey of Their Architecture and Design, (unchecked) (Book). SNN62723.

<5> Ballinger J., 1999, Northamptonshire Extensive Urban Survey: Industrial Period, (checked) (Digital archive). SNN4.

<6> Morrison K., 1999, The Workhouse: A Study Of Poor-Law Buildings In England (Book). SNN100282.

Record last edited

Oct 31 2022 12:22PM