Old Union Poor House (Workhouse)

The Old Union Poor House, also known as the Workhouse, is a building dating from around 1630. Originally a residence for Sir Richard Tichborne, it was significantly expanded after being repurposed under the Poor Law Act of 1834. In 1854, the War Department purchased this building along with four others to develop the Camp, and it served as No 2 Station Hospital for the Army from 1854 to 1879, later becoming the District Pay Office.

The building features Jacobean style architecture, with a two-storey main front that has three gables and single-storey wings, arranged with a 1.3.1 window pattern. The roof is covered with red tiles and includes gables. The walls are constructed of red brick in English bond, accented with flush blue bricks arranged in vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines that mimic half-timbering rather than traditional Tudor patterns. The front displays mullion and transom windows, alongside some recent small light insertions at the first-floor level. A gabled porch with an open framed roof rests on a brick wall and is supported by buttresses, with its off-centre position creating an asymmetrical appearance in the fenestration.

There have been later alterations to the rear of the building, including extensions and additional floors. The oldest part of the rear wall is made of rubble ironstone, featuring red brick buttresses, dressings, and horizontal bands. The end chimneys are Tudor stacks set diagonally on square bases.