The Halifax Union Workhouse

"An Evening with Harry Facks: The Halifax Union Workhouse"

As narrated by Harry Facks, Victorian gentleman and Halifax historian

"Good evening, dear friends of Halifax history,

I find myself compelled to share with you the most fascinating yet sobering account of our Halifax Union Workhouse. Having witnessed its operations during my Victorian days, I can speak with certainty of its establishment in the year 1840 - March 25th, to be precise.

The institution, which many of you would recognize from its position betwixt Gibbet Street and Hanson Lane, was constructed at the considerable sum of £12,000. I recall the discussions among the town's notable figures about this significant investment in what they termed 'poor relief.'

But let us step back a moment to acknowledge its predecessor. Our own Nathaniel Waterhouse - a name that should ring familiar to any Halifax resident with an interest in our past - established the original workhouse in 1635. A full two centuries before the grand Union Workhouse that I came to know.

The Gibbet Street Institution, as it came to be known, was more than mere bricks and mortar. Within its walls, lives were documented with meticulous precision - every soul who passed through those doors had their story recorded in the ledgers: their name, their age, where they had lived, whether they were married or not, and what work they could perform.