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<\/p>\nBehind an unassuming green door by the side of a footpath in Guildford lies a long and intriguing Edwardian history.<\/p>\n
It may no longer be in use, but The Spike in Charlotteville remains one of the best preserved examples of a workhouse casual ward from the period.<\/p>\n
While the building was once the preserve of vagrants and casual workers, its walls and cells can tell us about the Poor Law system of the early 20th Century.<\/p>\n
John Redpath, chairman of the Charlotteville Jubilee Trust which run the site, said: “It’s not at all well known. This is a very, very well preserved example of a casual board.”<\/p>\n
Redpath added: “Up to 30 people would have been housed here. They weren’t criminals but some could get a bit boisterous and violent and so it became necessary to lock them up.<\/p>\n
“It would have been hard to sleep here. The cold alone would have been enough to keep you awake.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Those unable to pay for their stay would be put to work breaking down stone and chopping wood [Surrey Museums]<\/p>\n
Built between 1905 and 1906, The Spike was originally part of the Guildford Union Workhouse complex.<\/p>\n
Those wishing to stay received a rooom which consisted of a 36 square foot (3.3 sq m) cell, and a rock hard bed.<\/p>\n
If you were unable to pay, you would be put to work to earn your board, either by breaking down stone or chopping wood to be turned into timber, Redpath said.<\/p>\n
Over time, the site expanded to include a larger infirmary, which later evolved into St Luke’s Hospital.<\/p>\n
During World War One and Two, parts of the workhouse and infirmary were used as military hospitals, treating British, Canadian and Australian soldiers.<\/p>\n
‘It can be pretty spooky’<\/p>\n
The last vagrants stayed in the building in 1962 and it fell into disrepair, with its significance not recognised until 1999 when it was Grade II listed.<\/p>\n
In 2008, the Charlotteville Jubilee Trust helped to restore the building into The Spike Heritage Centre, helping to tell the story of the workhouse and the people who briefly inhabited it.<\/p>\n
For Redpath, the building still remains a testament to some of the characters who lived there – and some may still grace the hallways, he claims.<\/p>\n
“It can certainly be pretty spooky,” he said. “I’m pretty sure there’s a few characters hanging around here.”<\/p>\n
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