SNN108742 - St. Edmund's Hospital (The Former Workhouse), Northampton

An archaeological and architectural analysis, backed up with documentary research, was undertaken on the surviving standing buildings of the former Northampton Workhouse site towards the end of 2008 for the owners Rochmills Ltd. and in conjunction with Cotswold Archaeology. The work was designed to assess the significance of the buildings and their setting in order to inform the decision that need to be made regarding the future redevelopment of the site. The analysis confirmed that the most significance surviving element was the much altered original workhouse complex designed early in the career of George Gilbert Scott, later to become one of the most important architects of his generation. However it was heavily based on the standard workhouse designs of Sampson Kempthorne, An infirmary was added to the site in the 1840’s and later extended and altered on several occasions, as was a school of 1872 and a Nurses’ Home of 1897. The site was gradually converted into a hospital between the world wars and was absorbed into the new NHS in 1948. Since it closed in 1998 it has been vandalised and the buildings are in a poor condition