Skiddaw Building

The Skiddaw Building, formerly known as the City General Hospital, was originally the Union Workhouse, also referred to as the Fusehill Workhouse. It was constructed between 1863 and 1864 by the architects Lockwood & Mawson and is a notable example of later workhouse design by these nationally recognized architects. The original plans for the building are dated 1862 and are held at the Cumbria County Record Office.

The building features Flemish bond brickwork set on a chamfered plinth, with all dressings made of calciferous sandstone, some of which are painted. It has angle pilastered quoins on projections, string courses, and a dentilled cornice. The roof is hipped with greenslate and lacks chimney stacks, featuring a central bellcote. The structure is three storeys high under a common roof, with a recessed pedimented central section that has five bays, flanked by square single-bay projections that rise above the roof as lead-domed cupolas. The overall facade consists of 23 bays, with nine-bay wings that have further single-bay projections symmetrically placed.

The central entrance has a round-arched 20th-century door within the original stone surround. All windows are 1980s casements set in original surrounds, with those on the ground and first floors featuring rounded stone arches and stone sills, while the top floor has segmental brick arches. A clock is situated in the central pediment, and the cupolas have 20th-century brick blocking where former two-light openings were. The projecting bays on the wings have a fretted stone parapet that matches similar panels on the cupolas. Notably, the left bay has been added or rebuilt in 20th-century brick.

The interior remains functional and has changed little from its original workhouse layout. The building was used as a hospital during World War I and became the City General Hospital following the 1948 National Health Act.