Parish Workhouse, Christchurch blue plaque

This blue commemorative plaque records: Erected next to an earlier barn used as a poorhouse, this building was built in 1764 by the Churchwardens and Overseers of the Poor as THE PARISH WORKHOUSE. When Christchurch combined with Holdenhurst and Sopley parishes in 1835 it became the Union Workhouse and remained in use until 1885. Recorded plaque organisation: Christchurch Local History Society.

The Parish Workhouse, established in 1764, served as a critical institution for housing and employing the poor of Christchurch, reflecting the broader English Poor Law system. Its transformation into a Union Workhouse in 1835 under the New Poor Law highlights changes in welfare administration during the Victorian era.