Inside Surrey's forgotten Edwardian workhouse

Behind an unassuming green door by the side of a footpath in Guildford lies a long and intriguing Edwardian history.

It may no longer be in use, but The Spike in Charlotteville remains one of the best preserved examples of a workhouse casual ward from the period.

While the building was once the preserve of vagrants and casual workers, its walls and cells can tell us about the Poor Law system of the early 20th Century.

John Redpath, chairman of the Charlotteville Jubilee Trust which run the site, said: "It's not at all well known. This is a very, very well preserved example of a casual board."

Redpath added: "Up to 30 people would have been housed here. They weren't criminals but some could get a bit boisterous and violent and so it became necessary to lock them up.

"It would have been hard to sleep here. The cold alone would have been enough to keep you awake."

Built between 1905 and 1906, The Spike was originally part of the Guildford Union Workhouse complex.

Those wishing to stay received a rooom which consisted of a 36 square foot (3.3 sq m) cell, and a rock hard bed.

If you were unable to pay, you would be put to work to earn your board, either by breaking down stone or chopping wood to be turned into timber, Redpath said.

Over time, the site expanded to include a larger infirmary, which later evolved into St Luke's Hospital.

During World War One and Two, parts of the workhouse and infirmary were used as military hospitals, treating British, Canadian and Australian soldiers.

The last vagrants stayed in the building in 1962 and it fell into disrepair, with its significance not recognised until 1999 when it was Grade II listed.

In 2008, the Charlotteville Jubilee Trust helped to restore the building into The Spike Heritage Centre, helping to tell the story of the workhouse and the people who briefly inhabited it.

For Redpath, the building still remains a testament to some of the characters who lived there - and some may still grace the hallways, he claims.

"It can certainly be pretty spooky," he said. "I'm pretty sure there's a few characters hanging around here."

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