Former Wangford Hundred Workhouse

SHIPMEADOW HIGH ROAD TM 38 NE 4/46 Former Wangford Hundred - workhouse GV II Former Wangford Hundred workhouse, now used as a pig farm. 1766-7. Red brick with a first floor brick band and a dentil eaves cornice. Hipped plaintiled roof. 2 storeys and attics. A large building with an H-shape plan. One of the long sides faces the road and forms the entrance front: this is 75m long, with a range of 19 segmental-arched casement windows, all of 2 lights except for one bay of 3 lights. The main doorway is placed centrally, with a 6-panel door (the upper 4 panels glazed), tall rectangular fanlight and a flat hood on shaped brackets. 8 flat-roofed dormers. On the roof above the entrance there is the lower part of a square louvred bell turret. The other wings are in matching style, with a 9-bay central connecting block. The windows were originally square-leaded, with wrought iron opening casements: many are later replacements but the original openings are substantially intact. The original floors survive but some internal partitions have been removed. This is probably the most intact large C18 workhouse surviving in the country. Complete building and equipping accounts survive: see Proceedings of the Suffolk Institute of Archaeology, Vol.30, pp175-182.

Listing NGR: TM3782689836